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Perth Glory welcome Melbourne City to the HBF Park in the A-League on Friday (February 2).
The hosts are unbeaten in two league games and were held to a 2-2 draw by Macarthur in their previous outing. Mustafa Amini's 72nd-minute penalty and David Williams' injury-time strike helped them force a share of the spoils. After back-to-back defeats in their first two league games of the year, Perth have seen an upturn in form.
Melbourne, meanwhile. returned to winning ways after consecutive defeats last week, with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Adelaide United. Terry Antonis scored the only goal of the game in the fifth minute, with Tolgay Arslan picking up the assist.
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A win will take Melbourne to fifth in the league, while the outcome of the game will not impact Perth's place in the standings.
Perth Glory vs Melbourne City Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have locked horns 42 times across competitions since 2011, with all but one meeting coming in the A-League. Perth lead 18-13.
- Melbourne secured a league double over Perth last season, with an aggregate score of 8-2. They also won 2-1 away in the reverse fixture in December.
- Perth have one win in seven meetings against Melbourne, with that win coming at home in 2022.
- Both teams have scored 25 goals in 14 league games this season. Perth have the second-worst defensive record, conceding 31 goals.
- Perth have scored at least twice in seven league games since losing to Melbourne in December.
Perth Glory vs Melbourne City Prediction
The Glory have lost three of their last four home games, but two of their three league wins this term have come at home. They have suffered three consecutive losses to City and have one win in five home games in the fixture.
Manager Alen Stajcic will likely remain without top-scorer Adam Taggart, who was absent against Macarthur last week with a leg injury. Former academy graduate Josh Rawlins has joined them on loan from Jong Utrecht and is in contention to start.
Melbourne, meanwhile, returned to winning ways after back-to-back defeats. They also kept their first clean sheet in five games. In six away league games this season, they have three wins and defeats apiece.
Both teams have seen an uptick in form recently, so expect a high-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Perth Glory 2-2 Melbourne City
Perth Glory vs Melbourne City Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Tolgay Arslan to score or assist any time - Yes
