Sydney FC will be aiming to move one step closer to securing an automatic playoff semi-final spot when they take on local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers at the Leichhardt Oval on Sunday.
The visitors head into this tie unbeaten in their last six Sydney derbies and will look to continue this run of results against the hosts and move into the playoff places.
Match preview
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After a string of inconsistent performances, Sydney have found their feet at the business end of the season as they aim to set the pace for the playoffs.
A 1-0 victory away to Western United was quickly followed by a 2-0 win when they returned to home turf to take on Melbourne Victory on Wednesday.
Brazilian forward Bobo and 31-year-old Kosta Barbarouses scored in either half to inflict more misery on the struggling visitors and give the Sky Blues their 10th win of the season.
Steve Corica's men have picked up seven points from the last nine available and are unbeaten in nine of their most recent 10 outings, with their 3-2 loss to Sunday's visitors on May 1 being the only exception.
They have now moved up to second place in the A-League table, two points above Central Coast Mariners, who have a game in hand.
Sydney must avoid a slip-up in their final two games of the regular season if they are to secure an automatic playoff semi-final ticket, but they face a stern test of taking on Western Sydney Wanderers, who have been dominant in the derby of late.
Saturday's visitors' chances of making the playoffs suffered a huge blow when they came crashing down to earth in a 5-1 loss to Perth Glory.
Prior to that, the Wanderers had picked up successive wins against Sydney and Western United, scoring eight goals over both ties.
However, Bruce Kamau could only grab a consolation goal as Andy Keogh put in an outstanding individual performance by scoring four goals to hand Richard Garcia's men their third straight win.
With 31 points from 22 outings, Western Sydney Wanderers are now in a heated race for a top-six finish as they sit in seventh place, tied on points with Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar, who both have one game in hand.
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Team News
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With goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic returning to full fitness, head coach Carl Robinson now has the luxury of a full strength squad with no suspension concerns at his disposal.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be without 32-year-old defender Michael Zullo, who has been ruled out since January through a season-ending calf injury.
Chris Zuvela picked up a knee injury against Wellington Phoenix back in February and remains out of contention for this game.
Veteran striker Bobo tops the club's goalscoring chart with nine goals and we expect the Brazilian to lead the visitors' attack alongside Adam Le Fondre.
Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Grant, McGowan, Wilkinson, King; Barbarouses, Brattan, Caceres, Ninkovic; Le Fondre, Bobo
Western Sydney Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Margush; Gordon, McGowan, Mourdoukoutas; Russell, Baccus, Dorrans, Aquilina; Ibini-Isei, Yeboah, Cox
We say: Sydney FC 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Given the rivalry between the two Sydney teams, we can expect an entertaining and closely fought contest on Sunday. However, looking at the gulf in quality between both sides and their recent form, we predict the hosts will end their poor run of results against the visitors and claim the win to keep their chances of a top-two finish.
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 Sydney FC win with a probability of 53.96%. A win for Western Sydney Wanderers had a probability of 23.44% and a draw had a probability of 22.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Sydney FC win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.8%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.09%) and 2-0 (8.48%). The likeliest Western Sydney Wanderers win was 1-2 (6.07%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.5%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sydney FC would win this match.
