Melbourne City v Western United Prediction and Betting Tip - Odds, H2H and Preview Predictions

Melbourne City v Western United Prediction:

Saturday morning will see the second leg of the Australian A-League playoffs, with Melbourne City hosting Western United in the second semi-final of the day. The hosts come into this match in a very comfortable position, having won the first leg 3-0 away from home, putting them in pole position for a place in the final.

Western United had previously defeated Adelaide United in the playoffs, securing a 3-2 victory in the eliminator after finishing third in the A-League. They were just a point behind Saturday's opponents, but it now looks like their season could come to a close unless a miracle happens.

Where to Watch

This match is being broadcast on TNT 4 with a kick-off time of 10:35 on Saturday 24th May.

Key Stats:

• Melbourne had the best defensive record in the league phase, conceding just 25 goals
• Western United had the second best scoring record in the league phase, scoring 55 goals
• Melbourne have lost just three games at home all season

Melbourne City v Western United Previews, Form and Players to Watch:

Melbourne City Preview:

The hosts come into this match on red-hot form, as highlighted by their 3-0 victory in the first leg against Saturday's opponents. They have lost just once in their last 12 outings, recording eight victories during that run, while scoring a remarkable 23 goals in the process.

Predicted Line Up (4-2-3-1): Beach; Talbot, Ferreyra, Trewin, Behich; Lopane, Schreiber; Cohen, Kuen, Tilio; Caputo

Despite their impressive scoring run, Melbourne City's highest goal scorer in the league has only five goals, which highlights their ability to pose a threat from various areas of the pitch, which makes them even more difficult for Western United to handle on Saturday. That said, Andreas Kuen has been a standout contributor, with 10 goal contributions so far this season, including a goal in the final game of the league phase.

Western United Preview:

Unlike the hosts, the visitors come into this second leg not only 3-0 down but also on a poor run of form, having lost three of their last six games. However, they did manage to win their final three games of the league phase, but it wasn’t quite enough to overtake Melbourne City and secure an automatic spot in the semi-finals.

Predicted Line Up (4-4-2): Sutton; Russell, Imai, Leonard, Garuccio; Grimaldi, Bozinovski, Thurgate, Danzaki; Ruhs, Ibusuki

As mentioned previously, scoring has been a strength for Western United this season, having notched up an impressive 55 goals. A significant part of that success has come from league second-top scorer Noah Botic, who has accumulated 18 goal contributions in 26 matches played.

Head-to-Head Stats - Melbourne City v Western United

The head-to-head stats heavily favour the hosts, with Melbourne City winning each of the last five encounters. During this run, Western United have only managed to score one goal, while Melbourne City have netted nine, which further emphasises the odds stacked against the visitors on Saturday.

• Western 0-3 Melbourne, May 2025
• Melbourne 2-0 Western, January 2025
• Western 0-1 Melbourne, November 2024
• Melbourne 1-0 Western, January 2024
• Western 1-2 Melbourne, September 2023

Betting Tips for Melbourne City v Western United

Western United have nothing to lose in this game with them already being 3-0 down on aggregate and so our team of betting experts recommend that the best tip for this game is BTTS. With the odds currently at 1.55 on HIGHBET, £10 stake could see a potential return of up to £15.50.

(odds subject to change)

Final Prediction:

The odds are massively stacked against Western United for this one, and it’s hard to see this fixture going any other way. Even after Melbourne City’s commanding 3-0 win in the first leg, we expect them to inflict more misery on Western in the second leg and cruise through to the final next week.

Melbourne City 2-1 Western United