Western United returns to Isuzu UTE A-League Men action on Saturday with an away trip to face Perth Glory at Macedonia Park.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League Men Round 7
Perth Glory vs Western United
Saturday, 10 December
Kick-off: 10:30pm AEDT (7:30pm local time)
Macedonia Park, Perth
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+
Team News
John Aloisi has named his extended squad for the match with two major inclusions from the squad that travelled to Wellington last month.
Midfielder Tongo Doumbia has completed his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury and is in contention for the matchday squad, while Nikolai Topor-Stanley has completed his two-match suspension and is also available again.
Aleksandar Prijovic will be looking to get more minutes in his legs after making his first appearance of the season against Wellington.
Western United squad: 1. Jamie YOUNG (gk), 4. Leo LACROIX, 5. Dylan PIERIAS, 7. Tongo DOUMBIA, 8. Lachlan WALES, 9. Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 11. Connor PAIN, 14. James TROISI, 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 19. Joshua RISDON, 23. Alessandro DIAMANTI (c) 26. Nicolas MILANOVIC, 27. Jacob TRATT, 33. Ben COLLINS, 37. Ryan SCOTT (gk), 38. Noah BOTIC, 42. Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 44. Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 88. Neil KILKENNY, 99. Aleksandar PRIJOVIC
Last time out
Nearly a month to the day, United picked up its first win of the season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Wellington Phoenix last time out.
The Green and Black embarked on a brilliant comeback after going down 2-0 in the match with Prijovic and Diamanti both scoring off the bench, the latter winning the game deep into stoppage time with a superb free-kick.
Previous Meetings
Western United has enjoyed a strong record against Perth to date, highlighted by three wins with a combined score of 9-0 last season.
Perth have won just one of the seven meetings so far, but United has never beaten the Glory in Perth and will look to earn a big three points this weekend.
Key Matchup: Aleksandar Prijovic vs Darryl Lachman
Set to make his second appearance of the season, Prijovic will be eager to have his say on the pitch after his brilliant substitute cameo last time out.
Whether from the start or off the bench, Prijovic will remain a key outlet for United up front but will face a difficult challenge in the form of Perth’s Darryl Lachman.
The Curacao international has been one of the league’s leading central defenders of late and Prijovic will need to be at his best if he is to find the back of the net and help guide his side to victory.
Player to Watch: Josh Risdon
Arguably Western United’s best player through the first six weeks of the season, Josh Risdon will look to continue his strong form when he meets his former side this weekend.
The Bunbury local leads the league in interceptions and ranks seventh in successful tackles, adding an assist at the other end in what has been a stellar season so far.
United’s vice-captain will be a key player on both sides of the ball once again and will hope to spur the team on with his leadership and quality on the pitch.
Words from John Aloisi
Watch John Aloisi’s full pre-match press conference
On the team being ready to get back in action after a month off
“We’re ready to go, the players missed it, they can’t wait to start up again. It was like another little pre-season for them.
“We’re excited, because we get an opportunity to play football again, and also we’ve got a lot of players back from injury so we’re looking very strong again.”
On how the A-Leagues can capitalise on the Socceroos’ tremendous FIFA World Cup campaign
“I think it will automatically do it because there’s been a lot of hype. I expect there to be big crowds wherever we’re going at the moment.
“I think knowing that these players did well at the World Cup – players that are playing currently in the A-League but also players that cut their teeth in the A-League. I’ve always said that our standard is very high, and now I think people start to believe it.”
