Two teams in the bottom half of the A-League will meet on Saturday as Sydney FC make the trip to play Perth Glory, with only goal difference separating them in the table right now.
The visitors head into this match on the back of a defeat, meanwhile, the Glory have secured consecutive wins in their most recent performances.
Match preview
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Perth Glory are riding a wave of momentum right now as they have kickstarted 2023 in undefeated fashion with back-to-back victories in the A-League.
A win against Western Sydney Wanderers was followed up by an impressive 2-1 result against Brisbane Roar in midweek with an own goal and a strike from Darryl Lachman securing the three points.
The positive results have allowed the Glory to start climbing up the league table, and they now sit with the same number of points as Sydney FC.
Another win this weekend would not only guarantee they move above their opponents, but it could take them as high as fifth depending on other fixtures, showcasing how tight the division is at the moment.
Considering the fact that Perth Glory are currently undefeated at home this season in the A-League, the belief will be there within the team that they can achieve exactly that.
For the visitors, they will be desperate to put their most recent match behind them, with that proving to be one to forget.
Despite the fact their opponents finished the game with nine men Sydney FC were still defeated 1-0, which was made worse by the fact that they had two penalties in injury time.
Adam Le Fondre stepped up twice in a row as he saw his first shot saved by the goalkeeper, before the second ended up being sent way over the bar in a moment of madness.
While scoring goals was a problem in that match it has been at the other end of the field where Steve Corica's men have had the most problems this season.
Only one other team in the division has conceded more than Sydney FC this season, which is a situation they will have to address, especially since they are only three points off the foot of the table.
Team News
Salim Khelifi missed out on the midweek victory for Perth Glory due to a groin injury that is likely to keep him on the sidelines once again this time around.
On top of that the hosts are dealing with another injury problem as Luke Bodnar has been out of action as of late as well.
There will be some serious pressure on Le Fondre this weekend following his penalty mishaps last time out, and he will no doubt be looking to put that behind him with a goal here.
Meanwhile Joe Lolley could be an option for the visitors as he has now served his suspension and is ready to be integrated back into the starting XI.
Perth Glory possible starting lineup:
Cook; Lachman, Muir, Koutroumbis; Forde, Duncan, Amini, Jelacic, Clisby; Dowse, Ivanovic
Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Grant, Donachie, Rodwell, Caballo; Burgess, Retre, Caceres, Brattan, Mak; Le Fondre
We say: Perth Glory 2-0 Sydney FC
This is a match that could see further difficulties pushed onto Sydney FC as they could end up being tested defensively here.
Coming up against a Perth Glory side who are undefeated at home makes this a tricky test, and one that the hosts will expect to win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
