The Wanderers are back at home this weekend, hosting second place Western United in a huge clash for both sides’ aspirations for the Finals.
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With just four games left in the regular season, Western Sydney are in a good position to return to the finals as they sit inside the top four, and will look to get a crucial win that could all but confirm their place in the top six.
They are off the back of a tough trip to New Zealand, with back to back away trips across the ditch testing the Wanderers’ resolve and resources.
Whilst there was frustration with the draw to Wellington, a 1-1 stalemate against league leaders Auckland was a strong result and performance from Alen Stajcic’s side.
They were unfortunate to be down 1-0 at the break after they had a Bozhidar Kraev goal ruled out for a very tight offside, but a goal early in the second period from Nicolas Milanovic gave the Wanderers a deserved share of the points and saw them climb back into the top four.
It was an end-to-end game with both sides having chances to steal a winner, including Jack Clisby having a brilliant shot saved onto the crossbar by Alex Paulsen.
The draws also mean the Wanderers’ unbeaten run now stands at eight games, with five wins and three draws dating back to late January.
It will be a tough test against second placed Western United, with John Aloisi’s side on a five game winning streak, the best run of any team in the competition at the moment.
Their run has been led by the goals of Noah Botic, who has 11 for the season, with United scoring 19 goals in their winning streak.
The most notable results include a 6-2 win over Newcastle and a 3-0 win over Adelaide United, and they are now just five points off Auckland who are in first.
However, the Wanderers still have the best attack in the league, scoring 50 goals for the first time in their history.
Milanovic is also having his best ever season, having 11 goals and being the equal second top scorer in the league, including three goals in his last three games.
Last week’s draw also saw an interesting tactical switch, where fullbacks Alex Gersbach and Gabriel Cleur playing higher up the pitch as Josh Brillante often dropped deep to make a back three.
It caused a lot of problems for Auckland, as the Wanderers controlled the first half and created some great opportunities to score.
The change highlights an increasing flexibility in Stajcic’s tactical arsenal, and it could come to be hugely important as the season comes down to the wire.
Having options on the bench such as Juan Mata, Aydan Hammond and Marcus Antonsson is also hugely beneficial and a reason why their attacking numbers are so good this season.
Mata could be introduced into the starting side in the coming weeks as the Wanderers look to have better control of matches in midfield.
It will be interesting to see how the sides match up, as they haven’t met since way back in round two.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw at Ironbark Fields that day, with Brandon Borrello’s opener cancelled out early in the second half by Hiroshi Ibusuki.
It was a fair result then, but the Wanderers will be desperate to get a crucial win in their penultimate home game of the regular season, to give themselves the best chance of having a home final.
