Melbourne City vs Western United – Preview, H2H, Line-ups, Prediction | A-League 2021-22

Dylan Wenzel-Halls of Western United and Curtis Good of Melbourne City
Dylan Wenzel-Halls of Western United and Curtis Good of Melbourne City - IMAGO / AAP

Melbourne City will square up with Western United in the Isuzu UTE A-League 2022 Grand Final at AAMI Park this Saturday. 

Venue: AAMI Park (Melbourne)

Key Statistics

Melbourne City have lost just one of their last ten games in all competitions (five wins and four draws).

They have failed to score in three of their last six games.

The hosts are unbeaten on this ground in their last eight league games (six wins and two draws).

Western United have won just one of their last four away league games (two losses and one draw).

They have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine away league games. 

Head to head

In nine meetings between both sides, Melbourne City have enjoyed the upper hand, winning five times while Western United have three wins. 

Latest performances in all competitions

Melbourne City: W-D-W-L-W

Western United: W-L-W-L-D

Melbourne City

Melbourne City will look to make it a back-to-back Grand Final win this Saturday when they face Western United at the AAMI Park. 

The hosts won the title last season when they beat Sydney FC. The title was their first in history and they will be desperate to make it two in a row, having already claimed the Premier title this season having finished top of the table. 

They have been the best team in the country over the last two seasons and will want to prove their dominance by winning a second title in a row. 

However, after struggling to win Adelaide United in the last round and failing to beat Western United in their last four tries, this encounter will be no simple game for them. 

Possible Melbourne City starting line-up

Tom Glover; Carl Jenkinson, Nuno Reis, Curtis Good, Scott Jamieson; Taras Gomulka, Florin Berenguer, Connor Metcalfe; Andrew Nabbout, Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren.

Injured: None 

Doubtful: None 

Suspended: None 

Western United 

Western United will look to cap what has been a fairly successful season with a strong finish when they run out on the AAMI Stadium turf this Saturday.

The “Western Service Crew” have enjoyed a good season so far. They were in the race for the top spot till the last weekend, narrowly missing out after a poor finish that saw them lose two of their last three league games.

But they have since bounced back, winning Wellington Phoenix 2-1 in the elimination quarter-finals before defeating Melbourne Victory 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals after a 1-0 loss in the first leg to book a place in their first-ever Isuzu UTE A-League 2022 Grand Final. 

And so, they will come into this tie full of confidence and a strong belief that they can win. Their recent history in this fixture will also be a big boost for them, given that they have won three of their last four meetings against Melbourne City.

Possible Western United starting line-up

Jamie Young; Joshua Risdon, Leo Lacroix, Tomoki Imai, Ben Garuccio; Jerry Skotadis, Neil Kilkenny; Connor Pain, Dylan Wenzel-Halls, Lachlan Wales; Aleksandar Prijovic.

Injured: None  

Doubtful: None 

Suspended: None 

Prediction

Melbourne City 2-1 Western United