The second game on Saturday for A-League Round 27 is between Melbourne Heart and Western Sydney Wanderers. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 5:30pm with the game to be played at AAMI Park. The favourite for the match is home team Western Sydney Wanderers. View our preview and teams for the game between Melbourne Heart and Western Sydney Wanderers.

Round: Round 27, Saturday, 12 April 2014, 5:30pm
Stadium: AAMI Park
Head to head: Played: 5, Wins: Heart 0, Wanderers 4, Draws: 1
Previous encounter: Wanderers 1-1 Heart, December 7 2013

Melbourne Heart $3.10 vs Western Sydney Wanderers $2.20 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Melbourne Heart $3.15 vs Western Sydney Wanderers $2.12 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Melbourne Heart	3.10	3.10	3.15	3.10	3.10	3.20
Draw	3.50	3.50	3.45	3.50	3.50	3.40
Western Sydney Wanderers	2.20	2.20	2.12	2.20	2.20	2.10

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Teams:

Melbourne Heart FC squad:
1. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 3.Robbie WIELAERT, 4.Orlando ENGELAAR, 6.Patrick GERHARDT, 7.Iain RAMSAY, 8.Massimo MURDOCCA, 10.Harry KEWELL (C), 13.Jonatan GERMANO, 15.David WILLIAMS, 16. Aziz BEHICH, 17.Jason HOFFMAN, 19.Benjamin GARUCCIO, 20.Tando VELAPHI (GK), 21.Stefan MAUK, 22.Nicholas KALMAR, 23.Mate DUGANDZIC, 24.Patrick KISNORBO
**One to be omitted**
Ins: 10. Harry KEWELL (returns from injury)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil

Western Sydney Wanderers squad:
1.Ante COVIC (GK), 2.Shannon COLE, 3.Adam D’APUZZO, 4.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 6.Jerome POLENZ, 7.Labinot HALITI, 8.Mateo POLJAK, 9.Tomi JURIC, 10.Aaron MOOY, 11.Brendon SANTALAB, 13.Matthew SPIRANOVIC, 14.Kwabena APPIAH, 17.Youssouf HERSI, 18.Iacopo LA ROCCA, 19.Mark BRIDGE, 20.Jerrad TYSON (GK), 21.Shinji ONO, 22. Dean HEFFERNAN
**Two to be omitted**
Ins: 17.Youssouf HERSI, 22. Dean HEFFERNAN (both promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 12.Tahj MINNIECON (hip – indefinite), 34.Golgol MEBRAHTU (knee – indefinite)

Preview:

Form:
Past five matches (in all competitions):
Heart: DLLDL
Wanderers: DLLWW

The Game:

There’s no denying the Wanderers are in charge going into the final round of the season. Tony Popovic’s team are second on the table, level on points with third-placed Central Coast but with a goal difference of plus four compared to the Mariners’ negative five. They are a point ahead of Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory, meaning even if the teams below them both win, their destiny remains in their own hands. As for Central Coast, who are away to newly crowned premiers Brisbane Roar, there would have to be a 10-goal swing across a Mariners win at Suncorp Stadium and a Wanderers loss at AAMI Park for the two teams to switch places. So the formula is very simple for the team in red and black – put Heart away and take a week off, before enjoying home advantage in the semi-finals.

The big issue:

Heart – Why bother? The only ‘prize’ on offer for the home team is trying to avoid the embarrassment of collecting the 2013-14 season’s wooden spoon. Heart are bottom of the table on 26 points, two points back from Wellington and Perth. Both of those teams are in action later in the round, meaning a win for John van ‘t Schip’s team will oblige the Phoenix and the Glory to go for it at home to Melbourne Victory and away to Sydney FC respectively if they don’t want to finish last. After all, it would be a shame for Heart to end the campaign propping up the table after their stirring recovery from such a horrible start.

Wanderers – Complacency is not something you’d usually associate with Popovic’s hard-working, unflashy outfit. But with an unbeaten record of four wins and one draw in five matches against Heart, as well as the knowledge that they are in the driving seat in the race for second place, is there a danger of Western Sydney’s players thinking the job is already half-done? Surely not, but with an eye on the crucial AFC Champions League game away to Ulsan on Tuesday, the coaching staff would do well to remind the squad of the importance of the task at hand.

The game breaker:

Harry Kewell. Who else could it be in the final game of one of Australia’s greatest players? The A-League hasn’t been the happiest hunting ground for the former Liverpool and Leeds forward, who endured a season of turmoil and underachievement at Victory, before spending plenty of time on the sidelines through injury at Heart this term. He’s missed the last two games with an abdominal strain but is set to return in a farewell clash against the team from his home town. The stage is set for one last memorable performance.