Western United will lock horns with local rivals Melbourne City in the first leg of their Isuzu UTE A-League Men Semi-Final tie at AAMI Park on Friday night.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League Men Semi Final First Leg
Western United vs Melbourne City
Friday, 16 May
Kick-off: 7:35pm AEST
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+
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Western United team news
John Aloisi has just about a full complement to work with including options in attack as Noah Botic, Hiroshi Ibusuki and Michael Ruhs are all fit and firing.
The only absentee is James Donachie after he limped off with an adductor injury in last week’s Elimination Final.
In Donachie’s place, there is a first senior call-up for Western United Academy talent Riley Foxe as well as inclusions for fellow young defenders Kane Vidmar and Charbel Shamoon.
Historic Elimination Final success at Ironbark Fields
Western United added another milestone in its ongoing history with a spectacular 3-2 win over Adelaide United in the Elimination Final at Ironbark Fields last Friday night.
Watch the highlights from a special night at Ironbark Fields
Botic was the hero, scoring an incredible hat-trick as the Tarneit crowd helped United overcome an early deficit to advance to the final four.
Western United back in the semi-finals
That Elimination Final triumph ensured that Western United has reached the semi-finals on all three occasions in which the side has made the post-season in the men’s competition.
The first semi-final appearance was a narrow defeat to Melbourne City before the 2022 tie against Melbourne Victory became one of the great finals match-ups in recent seasons.
After losing the first leg 1-0, Aloisi engineered a stunning turnaround as his team won the second leg 4-1 to book a place in the Grand Final, ultimately going on defeat City in the big dance and lift the Club’s first-ever Championship.
The Opponent
Melbourne City have put together another sensational season, ensuring an 11th-straight finals appearance since their rebrand from Melbourne Heart.
Much like Aloisi at Western United, Aurelio Vidmar has achieved fantastic results with a young squad, ultimately finishing second on the table.
City had the best defensive record in the regular season thanks in part to a standout season from new signing Kai Trewin, though the one thing that perhaps jumps off the statsheet is their own scoring record – only the bottom four teams in the league scored less than their 41 this season.
With that said, five goals in the final round against Sydney FC will have City full of confidence going into this one, setting up a tantalising two-legged affair.
Previous meetings
Western United has played no team more times than it has Melbourne City with some titanic battles over the years.
The 2022 Grand Final stands above them all, a magical night at AAMI Park where Aleksandar Prijovic starred to help give the Club its first piece of silverware.
United has five wins and a draw in the 18 meetings between the two sides to date, with Aloisi and his players intent on adding to the win column and advancing to the season decider.
Key Matchup: Ben Garuccio vs Aziz Behich
Two captains, two left-backs, two experienced players and two stars for their teams go head-to-head in Ben Garuccio and Aziz Behich on Friday night.
Injury has interrupted what has otherwise been one of Garuccio’s career-best campaigns with the No.17 bringing creativity and steel to United’s left-hand side.
In only 16 appearances, Garuccio racked up five assists in the regular season – matching his previous career-high – and was nominated for the Shark Fan Player of the Year award.
His leadership and experience from United’s Championship-winning campaign will be of equal value to his quality on the pitch, and he will be looking to outdo his counterpart on the City side.
Behich and Garuccio were once teammates at Melbourne Heart but will go head-to-head as rival captains in this semi-final.
Remaining a constant in the Socceroos squad, Behich continues to be one of Australia’s leading left-backs, but Garuccio has been as well and he will be eager to put in a strong display to help give his side the advantage after the first leg.
Western United Player to Watch: Hiroshi Ibusuki
While his strike partner took the plaudits last week, Ibusuki made his return from injury and will be content waiting in the wings to pounce for his moment in the semi-final.
The Japanese striker reached 10 goals in his debut season at Western United, fitting in perfectly to the team’s style and lifting a young attacking core to exceptional heights.
His hold-up play, finishing and presence in the final third have made him a nightmare to deal with, and as he goes from strength to strength here in the post-season, the No.9 will be one to look out for in the Green and Black ranks.
