Macarthur square off against Western United on Monday knowing that victory will move them to the brink of a place in the A-League Finals Series.
Meanwhile, the home side have been left to play for pride after recording six successive defeats, moving the club down to 10th position in the standings.
Match preview
© Reuters
Whatever happens during Macarthur closing double-header, supporters can take several positives from what has been a productive first-ever campaign in the A-League.
However, there would naturally be disappointment if they miss out on the top six, something which is a possibility after failing to win either of their last two fixtures.
The bigger pressure remains on the chasing pack, but Macarthur could find themselves in the bottom half of the table if they fail to overcome their faltering next opponents.
The Bulls had been on their way to overtaking Central Coast Mariners on Thursday before the visitors battled back to claim an important 2-1 victory.
Ante Milicic now hopes that his players can extend their unbeaten away record to four matches after recently benefitting from three other trips to lower-table opposition.
As far as opponents Western United are concerned, they are desperate for the season to end after their capitulation since the beginning of May.
Twenty goals have been conceded during six successive defeats, a remarkable collapse given that they had previously collected 14 points from seven games.
Having suffered a 6-1 defeat at home to 11th-placed Melbourne Victory, Mark Rudan was not shy in criticising his under-performing squad.
Whether that was the right move remains to be seen, but Rudan needs to get a reaction out of his players if he is save his own job in the dugout.
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
Team News
Rudan will inevitably ring the changes after Western United conceded four first-half goals against Victory.
Jerry Skotadis, Nicolas Milanovic, Steven Lustica and Adisu Bayew will all be considered for starting roles.
Aaron Calver and Andrew Durante, who have featured heavily this season, should also come back into the defence.
Antonis Martis, Lachlan Rose and Antony Golec will be hopeful of earning recalls to the Macarthur XI.
Tommy Oar is also an option in a creative position after making his comeback from injury against the Mariners.
Western United possible starting lineup:
Scott; Pierias, Imai, Durante, Calver, Pain; Diamanti, Skotadis, Lustica, Guarrotxena; Wales
Macarthur possible starting lineup:
Federici; McGing, Milligan, Susnjar, Meredith; Martis, Genreau; La.Rose, Susaeta, Najjar; Derbyshire
We say: Western United 1-2 Macarthur
Despite their disastrous recent form, Western United will feel that they have an opportunity to get back on track on Monday. However, we think that Macarthur will still be able to edge out their hosts, potentially by the odd goal in three after a fast start to proceedings.
Darren Plant
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 Macarthur win with a probability of 38.82%. A win for Western United had a probability of 37.19% and a draw had a probability of 24%.
The most likely scoreline for a Macarthur win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.22%) and 0-2 (5.61%). The likeliest Western United win was 2-1 (8.29%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.94%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-2 win for Macarthur in this match.
