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A bumper Matchweek 4 drew to a close with an abundance of A-League stars in contention for the Team of the Week, presented by Bunnings Warehouse.
Western Sydney Wanderers were the week s big winners, collecting four points following a 1-1 draw with rivals Sydney FC and a 1-0 win to end the Central Coast Mariners perfect start, while Melbourne City claimed local bragging rights with a 2-1 triumph against Western United in another in-state feud on Saturday.
Macarthur FC made it back-to-back wins on the road, beating the rock bottom Newcastle Jets 2-1 in the Hunter, while Perth Glory wrapped up the round in dominant fashion in a thrilling 5-3 win against Adelaide United. But the question is which A-League aces make the up the all-star line-up?
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James Troisi conceded a penalty before equalising in the space of five minutes to keep Western Sydney Wanderers unbeaten run against Sydney FC alive and earn a 1-1 draw with the reigning Champions in Saturday s Sydney derby at Stadium Australia.
An entertaining 26th Sydney derby exploded into life after the hour mark when Troisi s foul on Milos Ninkovic saw Kosta Barbarouses strike unerringly from the penalty spot.
But the ex-Socceroo Troisi popped up with the equaliser after an uncharacteristic error from Andrew Redmayne allowed Troisi to slide the ball into an empty net.
It was an equaliser the Red and Black - shaded by their rivals in the opening half - merited thanks to a lively second half display.
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Western Sydney Wanderers coach Carl Robinson says he s not surprised by Thomas Aquilina s eye-catching start to A-League life.
The 19-year-old defender made just his second senior start at left wing-back for the Red and Black in Saturday night s 1-1 draw with rivals Sydney FC.
Aquilina had Socceroo Rhyan Grant and Anthony Caceres to contend with from his roaming position on the left flank but held his own impressively and almost sent Wanderers fans into raptures with a header that nearly broke the deadlock late on. It doesn t surprise me one bit, said Robinson when asked about the former Bossley Park High School junior s performance.
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Ex-Western Sydney Wanderers captain Mitchell Duke is tipping the Red and Black to continue their Sydney Derby ‘dominance’ on Saturday and he has named the player he believes can fill his boots as the match-winner.
Duke netted a pair of winning goals against a Sydney FC side that went on to become Premiers and Champions, despite the Wanderers claiming 1-0 victories in the opening two derbies of the 2019/20 campaign in front of passionate crowds in the Harbour City.
The third contest ended in a 1-1 draw in a behind-closed-doors clash after Kwame Yeboah netted a late equaliser to ensure the side from Sydney’s west would finish the post-lockdown period unbeaten against their bitter rivals.
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Western Sydney Wanderers will look to continue their recent Sydney Derby ascendancy when they travel to face Sydney FC in a blockbuster Matchweek 4 showdown.
The Red and Black have not lost to their local rivals since December 15, 2018. After winning two and drawing one of their three fixtures against the Sky Blues throughout the 2019/20 campaign, the Wanderers will be confident of extending their unbeaten run against Steve Corica s side to five games with a positive result at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, January 16.
The Wanderers two wins over Sydney last season came from solitary goals to former captain Mitchell Duke in a pair of 1-0 wins, but the off-season departure of their talismanic captain will force Carl Robinson to take a different approach in pursuit of victory as he leads the Wanderers into his first Sydney Derby.