Western United will make history on Friday night with the first-ever Isuzu UTE A-League Men Elimination Final at Ironbark Fields, taking on Adelaide United in Tarneit. Read the Match Preview presented by Red Bull Australia.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League Men Elimination Final 1
Western United vs Adelaide United
Friday, 9 May
Kick-off: 7:35pm AEST
Ironbark Fields, Tarneit
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+
Western United team news
John Aloisi will welcome back two huge inclusions with Hiroshi Ibusuki and Tate Russell both named in the extended squad.
After missing the last two matches, the pair will bring significant boosts to the side with everyone fit and available to feature.
Record regular season complete
Western United smashed all the Club records in the regular season – most wins, most points and most goals scored in an incredible campaign.
Noah Botic led the way with 12 goals while Western United Academy graduates shone throughout – from Dylan Leonard at the back to Rhys Bozinovski in midfield and Abel Walatee in attack.
A stellar season was capped off with two straight wins at Ironbark Fields to close it out, including a brilliant 4-2 triumph over Premiers Auckland FC in the final round.
Western United return to the finals
Kick-off on Friday night will end a two-season absence from the post-season for Western United, marking a third finals series appearance since the Club’s inception.
Coming in the inaugural season, the first trip to the post-season saw a memorable Elimination Final win against Brisbane Roar before a narrow semi-final defeat to Melbourne City.
But the Green and Black will always be connected to finals football thanks to what happened in the 2021/22 season.
After beating Wellington Phoenix in the Elimination Final, Western scored an incredible semi-final triumph over Melbourne Victory before overcoming Melbourne City in the Grand Final to secure the Club’s first-ever A-Leagues Championship.
Now three years on, Aloisi will be looking to engineer another spectacular post-season campaign as United chases another piece of silverware.
The Opponent
Adelaide United have got themselves back into the finals after missing out last season, riding a stunning start to the season.
Carl Veart’s side won eight of their first 12 matches with some stunning attacking football, led by joint golden boot winner Archie Goodwin up front.
Goals have been guaranteed every time Adelaide have played with the third most goals scored and second most goals conceded in the entire league.
With a young and dynamic squad, Adelaide will be eager to upset the home fans in Tarneit and will provide Western with a stern test in order to reach the semi-finals.
Previous meetings
Western and Adelaide split the season series in 2024/25 with the Reds taking a 2-1 win at home before the Green and Black picked up a dominant 3-0 success at Ironbark in February.
Consistent with both teams’ outputs this season, this fixture has always brought excitement. Across all head-to-head matchups, only games against Melbourne Victory (61) and Perth Glory (55) have brought more goals than the 50 scored between Western and Adelaide.
The Reds have control of the head-to-head record at the moment with seven wins to Western’s four, but Aloisi’s men will take confidence from a win and a draw in the two games against Adelaide at Ironbark.
Key Matchup: Noah Botic vs Panagiotis Kikianis
After a personal best season, Botic will be out to show his quality on the finals stage against another of the competition’s best young talents in Adelaide defender Panagiotis Kikianis.
Botic exploded at the turn of the year, scoring nine goals across his final 14 matches to cement himself as one of Australian football’s best strikers.
Whether it be finishing himself or assisting his teammates, the No.19 has been a star performer all campaign and will be ready to step up again on Friday.
Standing in his way will be Kikianis who enjoyed a breakout season of his own, starting 22 matches at the back and being a key part of the Young Socceroos’ AFC U20 Asian Cup-winning squad.
A confident and athletic centre-back, Kikianis will hope to continue his form in his finals debut while Botic will be eager to win the individual battle and help guide Western to victory.
Western United Player to Watch: Angus Thurgate
Whenever Western United has needed him, Angus Thurgate has stepped up this season to put in one of the great individual seasons in the Club’s history.
The No.32 has done it all in midfield, scoring two goals and registering five assists while leading the team in tackles won and ranking second in interceptions across the season.
With no bigger moment coming up than an Elimination Final, Thurgate will be one to watch as he looks to help lead his team into the Isuzu UTE A-League semi-finals.
