Perth Glory and Western United face off at HBF Park on Monday in a clash that could have huge ramifications in the A-League playoff battle.
The end of the regular season is edging closer and both teams currently occupy a top-six spot, with this just their second meeting at this level.
Match preview
The show goes on in Australia's top flight despite the coronavirus pandemic, but it has led to a heavily disrupted schedule for teams throughout the division.
United were last in action on March 7 with a 5-1 win at Adelaide United, while Glory have not played since last weekend's goalless draw with Sydney FC.
That stalemate at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium extended Glory's winless run to four matches, with Tony Popovic's men collecting two points from the last 12 on offer.
Despite their poor run of form, Perth are fifth in the table and four points better off than United, who occupy the final playoff spot.
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Mark Rudan's charges have won back-to-back games to revive their hopes of reaching the end-of-season finals, scoring 11 goals across those fixtures.
After seeing off Central Coast Mariners 6-2, United put five past Adelaide United, thanks in large part to the form of Kosovo international Besart Berisha.
However, never before in their short A-League history have United won three matches in a row.
They have a real chance to change that on Monday as Glory are winless in their last three league games at HBF Park against Victorian opposition - never before have they been on a longer run.
The inaugural A-League clash between the sides in October finished 1-1, with Kristian Popovic cancelling out Panagiotis Kone's opener.
Perth Glory's A-League form: DWDLLD
Western United's A-League form: LDLLWW
Team News
United goalkeeper Filip Kurto was taken off in his side's most recent outing, but he is expected to be fit in time to start Monday's match.
Ryan Scott, who has just one league appearance to his name this term, will be on standby should Kurto miss out on selection.
Berisha seems certain to lead the line for the visitors after scoring for the 15th time this season last time out - only Adam Le Fondre and Jamie Maclaren have scored more.
As for Glory, injured duo Dino Djulbic and Chris Ikonomidis will sit this one out.
Former Getafe winger Diego Castro is one to watch for the home side, having created 49 chances so far this term - the fourth-highest tally in the division.
Defensive midfielder Juande is walking a disciplinary tightrope, meanwhile, given that he is one booking away from incurring an automatic suspension.
Perth Glory possible starting lineup:
Reddy; Wuthrich, Mrcela, Grant; Franjic, Kilkenny, Juande, Meredith; Castro, Chianese, Fornaroli
Western United possible starting lineup:
Kurto; Imai, Durante, Uskok; Risdon, Pasquali, Lustica, Pain; Burgess, Diamanti; Berisha
We say: Perth Glory 2-2 Western United
United will be looking to take advantage of their opponents' recent slide as the race for a playoff finish goes all the way. The in-form visitors have never previously won three A-League matches on the spin, however, and this will still be a tough contest even if Perth have gone off the boil.
Daniel Lewis
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 Perth Glory win with a probability of 55.26%. A draw had a probability of 23% and a win for Western United had a probability of 21.75%.
The most likely scoreline for a Perth Glory win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.34%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.85%) and 2-0 (9.39%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.86%), while for a Western United win it was 0-1 (5.99%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 3.1% likelihood.
