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NPL 1 Preview: Rangers v Wanderers

The Western Sydney Wanderers NPL side makes the short trip to face Mount Druitt Town Rangers on Saturday night, looking to win a third game in a row.

After a tough run of form, a Sydney Derby success and a spirited 2-1 win over Manly United has helped lift the side out of the relegation zone as well as boosting the confidence of the players.

Their win against Manly was settled by two Zac Sapsford goals and a strong defensive effort as the side played with a man less for most of the game and finished with nine players.

Red cards for Sapsford and Ariath Piol mean they will miss this match – a blow to the team – but Andrew Christiansen will have faith in his side that now have momentum on their side as they come up against the team directly below them on the table.

It has been a tough season for Rangers, though they also had a positive result last week, gaining a surprising 1-0 win away against Marconi.

Anthony Frangie scored one of the goals of the season with a bicycle kick that secured the crucial win.

It was only their third win of the season and their first win in six games, and was also just their second clean sheet of the season for the side with the second worst defence in the league.

They are led by experienced captain and former Wanderer Tarek Elrich, whilst Nikola Skataric is their top scorer with five goals so far this season.

But a Wanderers defence which has improved in recent weeks will back themselves to hold out the Rangers attack, whilst the likes of George Antonis and Frans Deli will look to win the midfield
battle.

A win for the Wanderers would see them move five points clear of their opponents, and could potentially see them climb to 11th on the table.