Wanderers keen on Victory payback

Dec 9, 2016 - 4:20 AM Coach Tony Popovic says Western Sydney will be out to right some recent wrongs in Saturday's A-League clash against Melbourne Victory.

The Wanderers slumped to a 3-0 defeat when the two sides met last month at AAMI Park - despite looking by far the more assured and accomplished team on the night.

Some chaotic defending at the back and a lack of cutting edge upfront opened the door for Victory, but Popovic's main takeaway from the match was that Western Sydney were on the right track.

However, the scoreline still bothers him.

"I don't know about revenge, (but) it plays on our mind because of how good we were," Popovic said on Friday ahead of the ANZ Stadium rematch.

"We refer to that game as how positive we were as a team.

"It's a new group and we've already shown some fantastic signs away from home in terms of our performance.

"The negative is we lost 3-0. We have to turn that around."

The Wanderers have continued to improve since, and last week put four goals past a hapless Central Coast Mariners outfit in an display that suggested Popovic's new-look side might be about to hit their straps.

But Popovic is reluctant to call it the start of something.

"A run? I don't want to look too far ahead. It's just one step at a time," he said.

"We're confident going into the game, we're playing well. Can we make it two wins in a row? That's the challenge we've got."

The absence of star Victory winger Marco Rojas, who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury, is an undoubted boon for the Wanderers.

That could mean a maiden start for German import Maxi Beister, who has shown glimpses of class in his handful of performances off the bench so far - but coach Kevin Muscat was coy about his chances.

"If we analyse it now, he probably hasn't played a great deal of football and certainly not 90 minutes," Muscat said.

"Bringing him here, we've been able to get him fit but it's a different fitness playing games, especially full games.

"If and when that (opportunity) comes, hopefully he can take it."

STATS THAT MATTER

* There has never been a drawn game between these sides when WSW have been the home side, the teams sharing three wins apiece so far.

* Melbourne Victory have scored just four of their 17 goals for the season when playing away from home, the lowest percentage (23.5%) of any team in the competition.

* Marco Rojas has been involved in 10 goals in just six games this season, scoring five and assisting another five; no player has provided as many assists and only two have scored more goals.

Source: AAP