Western United vs Melbourne Victory prediction, preview, team news and more

The Australia Cup is back in action with another round of matches as Melbourne Victory take on Western United on Wednesday. Both teams have impressive players in their ranks and will want to win this game.

Melbourne Victory finished in second place in the A-League standings last season and have been exceptional this year. The away side suffered a 4-1 defeat against Manchester United last week and will want to bounce back in this match.

Western United, on the other hand, won the Grand Final last season and are the reigning A-League champions. The hosts have an excellent squad at their disposal and will look to win another piece of silverware this year.

Western United vs Melbourne Victory Head-to-Head

Western United have a slight edge over Melbourne Victory and have won five out of the 11 matches played between the two teams. Melbourne Victory have managed four victories against Western United and will look to level the scales on Wednesday.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in the second leg of the semi-finals last season and ended in a 4-1 victory for Western United. Melbourne Victory struggled on the day and have a point to prove this week.

Melbourne Victory form guide: L-L-D-W-W

Western United form guide: W-W-L-W-L

Western United vs Melbourne Victory Team News

Western United

Alessandro Diamanti and Nikolai Topor-Stanley are injured at the moment and have been ruled out of this match. Josh Risdon has recovered from his knock and will be available for selection.

Injured: Alessandro Diamanti, Nikolai Topor-Stanley

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Melbourne Victory

Robbie Kruse is recuperating from a long-term injury and will not be able to feature in this game. Matt Acton and Matt Spiranovic have overcome their struggles and will be included in the squad.

Injured: Robbie Kruse

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Western United vs Melbourne Victory Predicted XI

Western United Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jamie Young; Ben Garuccio, Leo Lacroix, Josh Risdon, Tomoki Imai; Steven Lustica, Rene Krhin; Dylan Wenzel-Halls, Adisu Bayew, Lachlan Wales; Aleksandar Prijovic

Melbourne Victory Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ivan Kelava; Jason Davidson, Brendan Hamill, Matthew Spiranovic, Jason Geria; Joshua Brilliante, Jay Barnett; Ben Folami, Jake Brimmer, Marco Rojas; Nicholas D’Agostino

$1,100 First Bet Insurance at Caesars

Western United vs Melbourne Victory Prediction

Western United have enjoyed an exceptional year so far and are in impressive form at the moment. The likes of Lachlan Wales and Aleksandar Prijovic can be lethal on their day and will look to make their mark this week.

Melbourne Victory have also grown in stature over the past year and will look to make amends for their elimination last season. Western United are the better team on paper, however, and we expect them to win this game.

Prediction: Western United 2-0 Melbourne Victory

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

Know More

Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Western United vs Melbourne Victory prediction, preview, team news and more | Australia Cup 2022