- Essendon Royals have won 1, drawn 1, and lost 1 of their last 3 meetings with Werribee City in all competitions.
- Essendon Royals are playing the best footy of their season, scoring 21 goals and winning four of their last five VPL2 games, which include a 8-0 home victory over Springvale.
- Werribee City have won two and lost three of their last five VPL2 matches, with both wins coming away from home.
Style clash could spell goals in Essendon
Friday's VPL2 clash between Essendon Royals and Werribee City could be a classic clash of styles between an attacking side that likes to play on the front foot and a more defensive outfit that is better at counter-attacking.
The Royals have been on a great run of form in VPL2, which has seen them move into the top four of the table with 27 points from 16 rounds, firmly in the playoff race for promotion to the VPL.
Michael Ferrante's men have enjoyed an incredible run of goals recently, racking up 21 in their last five, including the aforementioned 8-0 drubbing of Springvale.
Ferrante has brought in new signing Mike Romas to spearhead the attack and midfield engine Dean Clarke, both of which have played important parts in the goal glut and fluidity of the team's attacking play.
Essendon's style of play is possession-based and proactive, and they are versatile enough to vary between a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1, which allows Ferrante to change the emphasis of the play at his disposal.
The Royals have been particularly dangerous at home, scoring lots and showcasing a multi-pronged attack that can hurt teams in various ways.
Werribee City are having an average season in VPL2, hovering around 9th place with around 19 points on the board after 16 rounds.
Domenic Barba's men need to pick up another win to push up the table and closer to the top half, while Essendon need the three points to keep their momentum rolling.
Werribee have played some good footy on the road, showing they can be very tough to beat on their travels.
Barba's defensive set-up is usually compact, with a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 that makes them susceptible to wide attacks but dangerous on the counter and from set pieces.
And this clash of play styles should make for an entertaining, end-to-end game that could see both teams getting on the scoresheet, as it has in each of the last three meetings.
The Royals are 1.2 favourites to take the win, although Werribee are big underdogs and the draw is priced at 5.65, so we think the value lies in the both teams to score market.
Our forecast is for Essendon to edge a high-scoring game, with the odds on a 2-1 home win looking good to us because of the visitors' counter-attacking threat and recent failure to score in their three defeats.