Adelaide United will be aiming to get back to winning ways when they host Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.
One point currently separates the two sides, with Adelaide United fifth in the A-League table and Wanderers in sixth position.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following last season's seventh-placed finish, Adelaide United look in a promising position sitting only five points off top with two games in hand on the leaders.
Carl Veart's side had been in impressive form going into last Thursday's top-two clash, winning their previous six games, as they aim to win the league for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
However, a defeat to the league leaders Central Coast Mariners prevented the Reds from going top last time out.
The manner of the defeat would have hurt Adelaide, who were leading 1-0 through a Kusini Yengi goal only to concede two late goals.
This weekend's visitors also played the Mariners in their last game, doing one better by earning a 2-2 draw on Tuesday.
It was a very entertaining game at the Bankwest Stadium, with a late penalty for the league leaders denying Western Sydney Wanderers three points after Bruce Kamau scored a brace.
The draw means that Carl Robinson's side have failed to win in their last three games following another draw with Brisbane Roar and a 4-1 defeat away to Melbourne City.
Wanderers have scored 12 goals in their last six fixtures while Adelaide United have netted 17 in their previous seven games.
The Reds were victorious when the sides last played at the end of February, winning 3-2, but Wanderers have won their last two trips to the Coopers Stadium.
There are bound to be goals between the two sides, with the fixture witnessing 28 in the last five meetings.
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Team News
Adelaide United midfield duo Ryan Kitto and Nathan Konstandopoulos are likely to miss another game as they are both still recovering from injuries.
First-choice goalkeeper James Delianov is close to a return from a hamstring injury, but Joe Gauci is expected to remain in goal for Saturday's fixture.
Striker Yengi is likely to remain up front after scoring three goals and providing two assists in his last four matches.
The visitors will yet again be without goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic through a shoulder injury.
Unlike the home side, who have had over a week's rest before this game, Western Sydney Wanderers may make changes following a tough game on Tuesday.
After his two goals from the substitutes' bench last time out, Kamau will be hopeful of a start this weekend.
Adelaide United possible starting lineup:
Gauci; Smith, Jakobsen, Elsey, Strain; Caletti, D'Arrigo, Dukuly, Mauk, Halloran; Juric
Western Sydney Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Margush; McGowan, Aquilina, Gordon; Georgievski, Dorrans, Baccus, Russell; Kamau, Ibini-Isei, Cox
We say: Adelaide United 3-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
The home side have had a long rest since their last game which will boost their chance of winning this time out. This match has often been a high-scoring affair and is unlikely to change this Saturday.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Adelaide United win with a probability of 45.07%. A win for Western Sydney Wanderers had a probability of 31.22% and a draw had a probability of 23.7%.
The most likely scoreline for an Adelaide United win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.91%) and 2-0 (6.69%). The likeliest Western Sydney Wanderers win was 1-2 (7.44%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.84%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 10.8% likelihood.
