Auckland vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction: Milanovic to make it five in a row

A 2-0 victory over Brisbane Roar last weekend has strengthened Auckland FC's grip on the 2024/25 Australian A-League Men's Premiers' Plate, with the Black Knights seven points clear of their closest challengers, Western United, with five rounds of fixtures left. Next up for the New Zealanders at Go Media Stadium is a Saturday (05:00, TNT Sports 1) visit from Western Sydney Wanderers, who are unbeaten in their last seven and eyeing up a top-two finish.

Below are my Auckland vs Western Sydney Wanderers predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Seven-goal Colombia forward Neyeder Moreno is back in Auckland's squad after missing last Sunday's 2-0 win at Brisbane Roar.

Young forward Jonty Bidois, who has made three appearances for the Black Knights this season, is in Steve Corica's extended squad and will hope to make the grade this time around after being left out of the matchday 18 in Brisbane.

Football Odds

Liam Gillion won't be featuring, however, after being left out of the long list for a fourth consecutive game. The 22-year-old forward has played 12 times this term but hasn't featured since Auckland's 3-0 win over Melbourne City on January 18.

Western Sydney Wanderers pair Dylan Scicluna (knee) and Jeong Tae-wook (ankle) remain unavailable for selection due to injury, but there are no fresh concerns for Alen Stajcic to contend with.

His options are boosted this weekend by the return of Mohamed Al-Taay, who was left out of the squad that travelled to New Zealand last weekend for their 2-2 draw at Wellington Phoenix. The Iraq international had been on duty with his national team, playing Palestine in Jordan earlier in the week, and was afforded more time to recover.

Aydan Hammond is also back in Stajcic's extended squad, having missed out against the Nix. The 21-year-old forward has scored four goals in 19 ALM appearances this season, including a brace in the Wanderers' 4-1 thrashing of Perth Glory last month.

Auckland vs Western Sydney Wanderers Odds

Only Melbourne Victory (also 24) have picked up as money points at home this season as Auckland, who have won seven of their 11 games at Go Media Stadium (D3, L1). The Black Knights have drawn their last two on home soil but are fancied to get back to winning ways on Saturday, with odds of 9/10 implying a probability of 52.6%. The Wanderers, meanwhile, are 12/5, or a 29.4% chance, to make it five victories from six.

The draw is priced at 5/2, both teams to score at 8/15, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/7.

Auckland's eight-goal top goalscorer Guillermo May heads the anytime market at 6/4, followed by Moreno (13/8). Nicolas Milanovic, who, with 10 ALM goals, is behind only Noah Botic (11) in the Golden Boot race, is considered Wanderers' most likely goalscorer at 2/1.

Anytime Goalscorer - Nicolas Milanovic (WSW) @ 2/1

Admittedly, Auckland's sturdy defensive record this season does pose a threat to this selection. Corica's side collected their 10th clean sheet of the campaign last weekend - the most in the league - and kept out the Wanderers in Sydney earlier this year, beating their hosts 1-0 at CommBank Stadium.

However, the Wanderers have since embarked on a seven-game unbeaten run, scoring in every match and netting 20 times. 20% (four) of those goals have been scored by Milanovic, who has notched in his last four outings.

The 23-year-old is enjoying a career-best season in front of goal, netting one more than he did in the entirety of the previous campaign, despite playing five fewer games.

Milanovic is well and truly in the Golden Boot race, and a strike or two on Saturday would pile the pressure on current leader Botic, heading into Western United's game against Perth Glory later in the day.

The Penrith-born winger didn't manage to get on the scoresheet in January's reverse fixture, but he did fire off six shots, hitting the target with half (three). Unfortunately for him and the Wanderers, he ran into an in-form Alex Paulsen, who made six saves.

Paulsen hasn't been able to keep as many out recently, though, making two saves apiece in recent home draws with Central Coast Mariners (2-2) and Adelaide United (4-4), but shipping six goals across those last two matches at Go Media Stadium.

Auckland recorded a shutout last weekend but had failed to do so in their previous four games, suggesting they are not as watertight as they were earlier in the season.

Therefore, backing Milanovic, who is in red-hot form, to score anytime on Saturday at 2/1 looks like a wise bet.

Double Chance & BTTS - Auckland or Draw & Yes @ 19/20

The Wanderers are on a lengthy unbeaten run, avoiding defeat in their last seven games, but Auckland's streak is even longer.

The Black Knights haven't lost any of their previous 10 matches (W6, D4), last failing to take a point on January 11 when Perth Glory beat them 1-0 at HBF Park.

Corica's side have only lost once at Go Media Stadium, suffering a 4-0 defeat to Western United on December 21, and that's just one of two home games they have failed to score in.

WSW are unbeaten on their travels since losing 4-2 to Sydney on November 23, and that defeat to the Sky Blues remains their only away defeat of the season. However, they've drawn two of their last three 'on the road', including in Wellington last weekend, and Auckland are rightly favourites for Saturday's game.

The Wanderers failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their three games last month, and they've only recorded three shutouts this season, so the double chance on Auckland and BTTS - Yes looks a decent shout at just under EVS, particularly as it's landed in six of their last nine matches.

Offers

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