Adelaide United vs Western United Prediction: Ibusuki to net on Reds return

Adelaide United secured their first Australian A-League Men's win of the 2024/25 season last Saturday with a thrilling 4-3 triumph at Western Sydney Wanderers. Next, the Reds face a Western United side without a victory and with just two points to their name.

Below is my Adelaide United vs Western United prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of Saturday's 08:35 (GMT) kick-off at Coopers Stadium (TNT Sports 1).

Team News

Adelaide United could hand Dutch defender Bart Vriends a debut on Saturday after the former Sparta Rotterdam centre-back was named in a Reds squad this week for the first time since his off-season move from the Netherlands.

Vriends is the only change made to head coach Carl Veart's squad from last week's win at CommBank Stadium, with defender Jordan Elsey still out injured.

Veart could name an unchanged starting XI, meaning the likes of Ben Folami, Panashe Madanha and Archie Goodwin will have to settle for substitute appearances again.

Football Odds

Western United are still without injured trio James Donachie, Ramy Najjarine and Khoder Kaddour, but Ben Garuccio is back available and could make play his first minutes of the league campaign in Adelaide.

Noah Botic, Sebastian Pasquali and Abel Walatee are among those in contention to come into the starting XI following substitute outings in Monday's 1-0 defeat to Melbourne City.

Adelaide United vs Western United Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Adelaide United vs Western United page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Adelaide United are 4/6 to make it back-to-back victories, giving the Reds an implied win probability of 60%, while Western United are 3/1, or a 25% chance, to collect their first three points of the season.

A draw is priced at 3/1, both teams to score at 2/5, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/11.

Adelaide's Luka Jovanovic, who has scored in both of his side's league games this season, the first a 1-1 draw with Central Coast Mariners, is 23/20 favourite to score anytime on Saturday.

Meanwhile, former Reds striker Hiroshi Ibusuki, who got off the mark for his new club in the October 1-1 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers, is shortest-priced for the visitors at 13/8.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Adelaide United & Yes @ 13/8

Adelaide won the first two meetings between them and Western United last season, winning 3-1 in Ballarat in November and 4-1 at Coopers Stadium in March before playing out an April 3-3 draw in the third and final head-to-head at the Wyndham Regional Football Facility in Melbourne.

The 2023/24 campaign was a disappointing one for Veart's side as they finished eighth, seven points outside the play-off places, but they've made an encouraging start to this season, holding reigning Premiership champions Central Coast Mariners to a draw in Adelaide in their opening game before beating the Wanderers in Sydney last week.

Western United, meanwhile, are winless after following up 1-1 draws with Wellington Phoenix and the Wanderers with a home defeat to Melbourne City on Monday. They've by no means been disgraced but as the A-League's lowest scorers with 36 goals last season - three fewer than the next-worst, Newcastle Jets - two strikes in the first three games isn't exactly encouraging stuff.

I don't expect Western United to blank in back-to-back matches as Adelaide are 12 competitive games without a clean sheet going back to last season, but I am tipping another defeat for John Aloisi's side following the Reds' strong start to the campaign and recent record in this fixture.

As ever, Adelaide's strengths lie in attack, and last week's win at WSW showed that even if they are vulnerable defensively, they can just outscore the opposition if push comes to shove.

Anytime Goalscorer - Hiroshi Ibusuki (WUT) @ 13/8

Ibusuki spent three seasons at Adelaide but never truly flourished until 2023/24, scoring 15 A-League goals - two more than he managed across his first two campaigns combined.

The Japanese striker's form, especially towards the back end of last season, ramped up pressure on the club to agree a new contract with their number nine, but nothing materialised and the 33-year-old headed off for pastures new.

In fairness to the Reds, Ibusuki's departure has allowed 19-year-old Jovanovic to make the centre-forward position his own, and he's duly delivered, scoring in his first two A-League games this term.

Ibusuki, meanwhile, got off the mark for Western United in their second league contest against WSW, and he will be desperate to at least double his tally for the season when he makes his Coopers Stadium return on Saturday.

Western United's squad isn't exactly brimming with goals, so Ibusuki is the obvious shout in the anytime goalscorer market.

At his old stomping ground, I wouldn't bet against Ibusuki reminding his former employers of what they're missing.

Offers

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