Our Wander Women travel to Victoria to face Western United, hoping to continue their very good record against the club.
The Wanderers have won four of their five meetings against one of the newer clubs in the league, and have won three in a row.
Given how difficult the season has been for the Wanderers, battling injuries and a coaching change, it could be just the tonic they need to get a win on the board and to bring some confidence back for a young side.
That said, the Wanderers’ performances have been much improved in the last two weeks, and they have been unlucky to leave both matches against Canberra United and Melbourne City empty handed.
They were particularly good in the first half against City, where they created multiple good goalscoring opportunities against the league leaders, and also finished strongly.
However, an early goal by Holly McNamara gave City a 1-0 win and condemned the Wanderers to another week at the foot of the table.
The Wanderers may feel they deserve a bit of a lucky break after the season they have had, but their fortunes in the injury department may finally be changing, with Maddy McComasky returning to training after being out since round two, and Holly Caspers and Paige Hayward also nearing returns to the pitch after long stints on the sidelines.
It will add quality and desperately needed experience to a young side who has fought incredibly hard in tough circumstances, and interim boss Geoff Abrahams will be proud of the effort his side is putting in.
Milly Bennett has done well since being a more active presence in the side, starting in midfield last weekend, whilst Talia Younis continues to impress despite her young age.
Sienna Saveska and Sophie Harding, two of the Wanderers’ top forwards did pick up slight knocks against City and have to be substituted, but it is hoped they will be fit and firing for Friday night’s clash against Western United.
Saveska will certainly hope to be back, as she scored a hat-trick in December when the sides last met.
It was truly a whirlwind performance and she scored a first half hat-trick, including an olimpico and a stunning long range effort.
It was a complete performance from the Wanderers that afternoon, as they led 4-0 at the break and eventually won 5-1, with Amy Harrison’s missed penalty being the only thing preventing them from recording their biggest ever win.
It was also a special afternoon for Danika Matos, as she scored her first ever A-League goal, and her goal scored massive celebrations from all the players who were delighted for her.
It has been a wildly inconsistent season for United, who are led by former Wanderers coach Kat Smith.
They haven’t won consecutive games all season, and in addition to their big loss against the Wanderers they were also destroyed at home 8-2 by the Brisbane Roar.
They have won just one of their last four matches, being forced to come from behind last weekend against Adelaide United on the road, with Catherine Zimmerman scoring an equaliser.
They sit outside the finals places on goal difference, and need a win to build a gap between them and the chasing pack.
The Wanderers will need to be wary of Chloe Logarzo and Kahli Johnson in attack, with the latter being the top scorer for United this season with seven goals.
