S10: Round 12 Preview

As the W-League heads into the pointy end of the season, there are only three rounds left to play to see who will make the finals and become the 2018 W-League Premiers.

Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory

Photo: Getty Images

Round 11 saw the Wanderers defeated 2-0 by Canberra United on a cold Sunday afternoon in the nation's capital. While the Wanderers played with great creativity and discipline, which did trouble Canberra at times, all their hard work didn’t lead to the three points as Canberra broke the deadlock in the 75^th minute through Michelle Heyman.

On the other hand, Melbourne Victory had to wait until the dying minutes to snatch the three points from Melbourne City in the local derby. It was a scoreless first half before City went ahead after the hour mark but a stunning strike from Melina Ayres made the scoreline level.

The match between these two sides will be an interesting battle as both teams look certain to miss the finals series and could finish in similar positions as last season.

In recent weeks, Victory has been doing what they do best and finishing the season strong. They have been able to move the ball around the pitch to create chances and while their defence, at times, hasn’t been a brick wall, goalkeeper Casey Dumont has been one of their best for her side this season.

They may be near the bottom half of the table but Victory has conceded less goals than Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Melbourne City this season. Wanderers are in a similar position as Jada Whyman has only had to pick the ball out of the net 13 times and while that may seem a lot, they have conceded the second fewest goals this season.

However, the problem for the Wanderers has been scoring. They have the least amount of goals (7) this season and while they do so much work in the game, they just haven’t been able to capitalise on their possession.

Player to watch: Melina Ayres has been unleashing long-range goals for Victory and it started with the 30-metre strike against Brisbane Roar. If the Wanderers give her too much space on the ball, she will hit them.

Last time they met: The last time the two sides met was earlier this season when both sides played out 1-1 draw.

Head to Head:  Played 9 | 1 wins (WSW) | 4 wins (MVC) | 4 Draws

Details

ANZ Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney

Kick-off: 5:20pm (Local and AEDT)

TV broadcast: Live coverage on Fox Sports 501 and SBS Viceland from 5pm (AEDT)

Perth Glory v Canberra United

Photo: Ben Southall

Perth Glory dropped points against Sydney FC and could miss out on the top four if results don’t go their way in the last three rounds. It was also the third consecutive match where they haven’t scored a goal. Sydney stretched the Glory defence, which led Sydney to a 2-0 victory on Sunday evening.

Canberra has continued to win in 2018 after a 2-0 win on Sunday afternoon as Heyman played her 100^th W-League game. Canberra played with confidence but Wanderers goalkeeper Jada Whyman kept them at bay but after 15 minutes they were forced to defend their goal.

When the two come face to face this weekend, the odds aren’t in Glory’s favour (see below). However, the bottom line is, Glory need to win but so do Canberra and to ensure they have a chance of making finals they need to win all their games and hope some teams above drop points.

Perth has a strong attack but in recent weeks the combinations fans had seen between Sam Kerr, Rachel Hill and Raquel Rodríguez haven’t been clicking. It could be teams have figured out how to cut out their passes to stop the momentum of their play or teams has stepped up their game when facing Perth.

Meanwhile Canberra, despite their unbeaten start to 2018, has not been able to execute the game plan coach Heather Garriock has wanted them too.

So what can fans expect? There is only one word to describe it…fierce. It will be a battle. Both teams need maximum points to have a chance of making the finals and both teams will do what it takes to get those points.

Player to watch: It is a game full of quality players but Michelle Heyman's form in recent matches means the Perth defence will need to keep a close eye on her. She continues to be a threat when she’s threaded the ball in behind defenders and heads for goal.

Last time they met: Canberra took a 3-2 win against Perth in a clash, which was missing big names from both sides including Michaelle Heyman and Sam Kerr.

Head to Head:  Played 16 | 1 wins (PER) | 12 wins (CBR) | 3 Draws 

Details

Hay Park, Bunbury

Kick-off: 4:30pm (Local) (7:30pm (AEDT))

Follow #PERvCBR on Twitter for updates

Melbourne City v Brisbane Roar

Photo: Getty Images

While Brisbane Roar had a bye in Round 11 and continue to sit on top of the W-League ladder, Melbourne City suffered a 2-1 loss to rivals Melbourne Victory. City haven’t been their typical selves this season and could miss the finals for the first time.

If the match between the two sides was anything like it was earlier this season, it will be a game played in the midfield but there will also be lots of passing and chances of goal as they lead the competition in categories.

But it will be hard to get past the Roar defence and goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold who has five clean sheets this season, the most of any team.

City will need maximum points from their last two matches to have a chance at making finals, so they will need to move the ball around quickly and take their chances on the counter-attack.

While on the other hand, Roar only need five points from their remaining three games to seal the Premiership and they are yet to lose on the road. They will be tough to beat with the form they are currently in.

However, the Roar still only have a conversion rate of 12 percent, which is similar to City but anything can happen in the W-League and Melbourne City need all the points possible.

Player to watch: Katrina Gorry has been an integral part of the Brisbane Roar side this season as she has controlled the tempo of the midfield each match.

Last time they met: Brisbane Roar got a 2-0 against City in Round 8 after a dominant second-half performance.

Head to Head:  Played 6 | 5 wins (MCY) | 1 wins (BRI) | 0 Draws 

Details

AAMI Park, Melbourne

Kick-off: 4:30pm (Local & AEDT)

Live coverage on Fox Sports 501 and SBS Viceland from 4:30pm

Bye: Adelaide United, Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC