Western United will aim for a third straight win at Ironbark Fields when it hosts Central Coast Mariners for a midweek Isuzu UTE A-League Men fixture on Wednesday night. Read the Match Preview presented by Red Bull Australia.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League Men Round 14
Western United vs Central Coast Mariners
Wednesday, 29 January
Kick-off: 7:00pm AEDT
Ironbark Fields, Tarneit
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+
Western United team news
Young attacking stars Noah Botic and Abel Walatee are fit and ready to go, avoiding further issues after being substituted in United’s last match against Newcastle Jets.
They are joined in the 20-man extended squad by 19-year-old goalkeeper Michael Vonja who has been promoted for the first time this season following Tom Heward-Belle’s departure.
Western United squad: 6. Tomoki IMAI, 7. Ramy NAJJARINE, 9. Hiroshi IBUSUKI, 10. Matthew GRIMALDI, 13. Tate RUSSELL, 14. Jake NAJDOVSKI, 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 19. Noah BOTIC, 20. Abel WALATEE, 22. Kane VIDMAR, 23. Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 24. Michael RUHS, 30. Dylan LEONARD, 32. Angus THURGATE, 33. Matthew SUTTON (gk), 34. James YORK, 37. Luke VICKERY, 44. Jordan LAUTON, 70. Michael VONJA (gk), 77. Riku DANZAKI
Ins: 14. Jake NAJDOVSKI, 34. James YORK, 70. Michael VONJA (promoted)
Outs: 1. Tom HEWARD-BELLE (departed)
Unavailable: 4. James DONACHIE (injured), 21. Sebastian PASQUALI (injured), 29. Charbel SHAMOON (injured), 43. Khoder KADDOUR (injured)
Last time out
It may feel like an eternity ago, but Western United was dominant in a 3-1 win over Newcastle Jets in its last Isuzu UTE A-League fixture 12 days ago.
Botic starred with two goals after Riku Danzaki had opened the scoring, continuing a strong run of form for John Aloisi’s men.
Previous Meetings
Western United enjoyed a winning record against the Mariners in the early meetings, but Central Coast have since turned it around.
The Green and Black has not beaten Central Coast since April 2021 and has lost each of the last five meetings.
Despite that run, Western United will come into this one full of confidence with six wins in seven games – that’s the joint-best run of form in the Club’s history and the first time that has been achieved since the inaugural season.
Key Matchup: Hiroshi Ibusuki vs Brian Kaltak
Hiroshi Ibusuki has been a revelation at Western United this season, taking his game to even greater heights after three excellent seasons at Adelaide United.
The Japanese striker has scored seven goals so far this season with two of them coming in home matches at Ironbark Fields.
Outside of his goals, his physical presence and leadership from the front have been invaluable for Western United and will make for a huge battle against Central Coast’s Brian Kaltak.
Since coming to the league, the 31-year-old centre-back has been one of the great stories of the competition with the backing of his homeland in Vanuatu helping him become one of the best defenders in the country.
A slightly diminutive stature of 180cm for a centre-back is more than levelled by his imperious strength and speed in the last line of defence.
Kaltak has been a dominant force in two trophy-laden seasons for the Mariners, but Ibusuki will be hoping to gain the advantage and spur his side on to victory.
Western United Player to Watch: Noah Botic
One of the form players in the Isuzu UTE A-League at the moment, everything Botic touches seems to turn to gold right now and he will be looking to continue that momentum in this clash.
When Botic is on song, it has typically meant the goals continue to flow – last season he scored four times within six appearances and in 2022/23, he burst onto the scene with five goals in as many outings.
All six of Botic’s goals so far this season have come in his last nine appearances, making this one of the best runs of his career to date.
The 23-year-old has played in all 14 games and also has a team-high four assists for the season. Scoring all types of different goals and wowing the fans at Ironbark Fields, Botic will be one to watch as he sets about continuing his hot streak on Wednesday night.
