Western United will kick off the inaugural Unite Round with an Isuzu UTE A-League Men clash with Macarthur FC on Friday night.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League Men Round 27 – Unite Round
Macarthur FC vs Western United
Friday. 12 January
Kick-off: 5:30pm AEDT
CommBank Stadium, Parramatta
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+
Team News
Josh Risdon is set to join an exclusive club in the Isuzu UTE A-League, becoming just the 22nd player to reach the milestone of 250 appearances in the competition.
The Western United captain will lead the side out once again and hope there will be cause for even greater celebration after the contest.
John Aloisi has named an unchanged extended squad, with Michael Ruhs hoping to impress again against his former side and a number of young talents continuing to fight for minutes.
Western United squad: 1. Tom HEWARD-BELLE (gk), 6. Tomoki IMAI, 7. Ramy NAJJARINE, 8. Lachie WALES, 9. Michael RUHS, 10. Steven LUSTICA, 11. Daniel PENHA, 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 22. Kane VIDMAR, 24. Connor O’TOOLE, 27. Jacob TRATT, 32. Angus THURGATE, 33. Matt SUTTON (gk), 35. Max BISETTO, 38. Noah BOTIC, 39. Matthew GRIMALDI, 41. Oliver LAVALE, 42. Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 49. Jake NAJDOVSKI, 77. Riku DANZAKI
Last time out
Western United put in one of its best performances of the season last week but left AAMI Park empty-handed after a 2-1 defeat to Melbourne City.
Michael Ruhs opened the scoring for the Green and Black early in the first half but two world-class strikes after half-time gave City the three points, despite United’s best efforts throughout the match.
Previous Meetings
Western United will be hoping for a win to move up the table and to square the ledger in the head-to-head battle with Macarthur.
Through eight meetings so far, the Bulls have enjoyed three wins to United’s two, while the two sides have drawn three times – United has tied with no side more than it has Macarthur.
Key Matchup: Angus Thurgate vs Kearyn Baccus
Angus Thurgate put in arguably his best performance in a Western United shirt last week and will hoping to carry that display into what looms as a tough battle in midfield against Macarthur.
The No.32 was everywhere for the Green and Black and has begun to make his impact felt further forward with a goal and an assist in his last three games.
Thurgate’s ability to make superb runs into the final third from midfield are a handful for any opposition and will ensure Kearyn Baccus and the Macarthur midfield are wary of his movements.
Baccus was excellent when Macarthur defeated United 1-0 earlier on in this season, and coach Mile Sterjovski will be looking for a similar performance from his star man.
A midfielder with excellent defensive qualities, Baccus will look to disrupt Thurgate’s creativity and get his side on top through the middle of the pitch.
If Thurgate can ensure Baccus can’t stamp his authority on the game, United could profit from another positive display from the star midfielder.
Player to Watch: Matthew Grimaldi
Matthew Grimaldi is relishing his first season in senior professional football and will be eager to show his quality if given another opportunity on Friday night.
The 20-year-old has come off the bench in each of United’s last eight fixtures and scored his first league goal against Sydney FC three weeks ago.
Grimaldi’s eye for a creative pass and willingness to burst forward from midfield has consistently added energy and quality to United’s play whenever he has come off the bench.
If he features again tonight, Grimaldi will be one to look out for as he stakes his claim for continued minutes and hopes to help drive his side to victory.
Words from John Aloisi
On the continued confidence and hunger to begin picking up wins
“We’re looking forward to it. We had a really good performance against Melbourne City. The effort is there, and we’re just wanting to turn the season around by picking up wins now.
“We think that against Macarthur, if we perform like we did in the last game, even though it’s going to be a different game, that we’ve got every chance of doing that.”
On the teamwork involved in Michael Ruhs’ goal vs Melbourne City and the positive attacking play
“The football that we want to play is that type of football. It was an excellent goal, I think it was 18 passes before Michael got the final touch.
“That’s what we want to end up being like as a football team, and we know there is a lot more to it as well. That was one moment after a sequence of passes, but we created more openings and opportunities and it was just that sometimes the final ball or shot let us down a little bit.”
