Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction: Nik to pick on wretched Wanderers

After winning just one of their first seven games in the 2025/26 Australian A-League Men's, Melbourne Victory are targeting a fifth consecutive win on Saturday (06:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1) when they host bottom-of-the-table Western Sydney Wanderers at AAMI Park.

Below are my Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, as I return from a Christmas break, looking to secure an eighth profitable week in 10.

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Team News

Melbourne Victory captain Roderick Miranda was substituted in the 17th minute of last Friday's 3-2 win over Perth Glory with a leg injury and has been ruled out of this weekend's game against Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Portuguese defender joins long-term absentee Brendan Hamill (knee) in the treatment room, while Jordi Valadon and Joshua Rawlins remain on international duty with Australia at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

However, in more positive news for Victory boss Arthur Diles, Rene Piscopo, who last played in July’s Australia Cup tie at Kingsway Olympic, is back fit.

Football Odds

Western Sydney Wanderers duo Aydan Hammond and Aidan Simmons are international teammates of Valadon and Rawlins, so both miss out for Alen Stajcic's side this weekend.

The Wanderers are further depleted by the recent sale of defender Alex Bonetig, who has started every game this season, to MLS club Portland Timbers. As a consequence, expect Anthony Pantazopoulos, who has been covering at left-back for the past four matches, to return to a more familiar position at the heart of a four-man back line at AAMI Park.

Alex Gersbach returned from a four-game injury absence as a late substitute in a 1-0 New Year's Day defeat at home to Macarthur FC and should start at left-back on Saturday.

Steven Ugarkovic, Dylan Scicluna and Kosta Barbarouses are all bidding for promotions from the bench, too.

Mohamed Al-Taay left the club this week, and according to reports, has been followed through the exit door by Gabriel Cleur.

Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers Odds

Melbourne Victory, who triumphed 2-1 at CommBank Stadium in the last head-to-head last May, are 4/5 favourites to win on Saturday, implying a 55.6% probability of success, while Western Sydney Wanderers, without an away win in the ALM this season, are 11/4, or a 26.7% chance, to triumph on their travels.

The draw is offered at 5/2, both teams to score at 8/13, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/6.

Match Result - Melbourne Victory @ 4/5

The Wanderers are a mess right now.

Stajcic's side are winless in their last five games (D1, L4), failing to score in four of those, and are on a three-match losing run heading into Saturday.

Players have departed, and the mood around the club is far from cheerful.

Today's Football Fixtures

Victory, on the other hand, are flying.

Diles' men are unbeaten in their last five games, winning the most recent four, and have scored eight goals across their last two. Perth Glory pushed them close last week, but ultimately, Victory's quality shone through.

At home, against a confidence-stricken Wanderers outfit, I'm confident Victory can claim another win on Saturday.

I'm only backing a straight result here, though, as while the Wanderers have failed to score in four of their last five matches, Victory have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight, failing to record a shutout in either of their games post-Christmas.

Player to Score Two or More Goals - Nikos Vergos (MVC) @ 8/1

Victory forward Nikos Vergos endured a torrid time of it for the most part last year, failing to score for more than eight months before ending his drought with the opening goal of his side's 2-1 win over Adelaide United on December 13.

That strike appears to have resurrected Vergos' Victory and ALM career, as he doubled his team's advantage in the 46th minute of that game, and a couple of weeks later, hit a hat-trick in a 5-1 thrashing of Wellington Phoenix.

The 29-year-old has now scored five goals across his last four matches, taking him to within two of last season's total, and he'll be licking his lips at the prospect of facing an out-of-sorts Wanderers side on Saturday.

Scoring 2+ goals for the third time in five matches would be some going from the Greek, but at 8/1, against bottom-of-the-table Wanderers, it's worth a shot, in my opinion.

Nick Ware P/L 25/26 ALM Season (After GW11)

 P/L: +10.5%