The struggling Jets welcome Wellington to Newcastle in a crucial clash that will go a long way to shaping the top six.
Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for Scott Miller’s team, as their dismal recent run continued last week. A 2-0 loss against Sydney FC away from home does not sound like a terrible result on paper, but if you dig a little deeper, you will find that the Jets are really struggling. They could not manage a shot on target against the Sky Blues and have only managed two efforts on target in their last three matches.
Wellington will arrive at Hunter Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a confident mood after an encouraging result last week against the table-topping Brisbane Roar. A 0-0 draw snapped a run of two straight losses and with some big inclusions for this weekend’s clash, the Phoenix have every right to be confident.
Key Battle – Roly Bonevacia vs Ben Kantarovski
Roly Bonevacia has been simply superb for the Phoenix this season, and in all honesty has been one of the best players in the competition. Teams struggle to handle his athleticism and directness in the central-areas of the pitch and he will be primed for a big game after missing last week’s draw through suspension. Bonevacia has created 13 chances for the ‘Nix this season and will be keen to add to that tally this weekend.
It will be the job of Ben Kantarovski to marshal Bonevacia for large periods of the contest and he will have to be on high alert right from the outset. He was wanting last week, as Ali Abbas found his way in behind after the defender failed to track his run and scored the second goal for Sydney. There will be no doubting Ernie Merrick will be targeting him as a possible route to goal this weekend in Newcastle.
Team News
Leonardo returns this week for the Jets as they try to nurse him through his ongoing knee issues. He is one of the players the side relies on to create attacking play and he is keenly missed when not available.
The Phoenix welcome back the aforementioned Bonevacia as well as Alex Rodriguez, giving Merrick a few more options as his team battles a mini injury crisis. Manny Muscat, Alex Rufer, Roy Krishna, Louis Fenton and Ben Sigmund will all miss the match through a mixture of injuries and suspension.
Head-to-head
Wellington has always been a difficult nut for the Jets to crack and the overall standings in the A-League reflect this. In the 26 matches between the sides, the Phoenix boasts 15 wins to Newcastle’s seven, with four draws.
Previous Meeting
The Jets shocked the competition on the opening day of the campaign as David Carney and Milos Trifunovic both found the net in a 2-1 victory in Wellington. Lee Ki-Je scored an own goal for the home side.
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Prediction
Will the Jets finally be able to break their goal scoring drought? It currently stands at 559 minutes and will need to change and change fast if they hope to catch the Phoenix who are a win clear of them on the ladder. Newcastle do not create a lot of chances and Merrick’s side are mostly effective on the counter-attack, which means we probably should not expect the most open and flowing contest.
Like most matches, it will come down to quality in the final-third. The return of Bonevacia to help with the creative burden that has been placed on Michael McGlinchey in the past two weeks, tips the balance in Wellington’s favour.
Newcastle Jets 1 Wellington Phoenix 2
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