A win at home could see the Wellington Phoenix overtake the much-vaunted Sydney FC, and leave the Sky Blues in sixth place heading into the hectic Christmas period.
The Phoenix once again return to Westpac Stadium in Wellington following a promising ‘home’ victory over the Melbourne Victory 2-0 at Auckland’s QBE stadium before they were overrun by a spirited Brisbane Roar side in the second half of an away clash at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns, surrendering a goal advantage to go down to two late goals and register a 2-1 loss.
The #SavetheNix campaign is still in action as licence-extension discussions between the Phoenix owners and the FFA remain ongoing. With off-field issues plaguing the FFA in recent weeks (such as the well publicised fan boycotts), the licence extension has been pushed to one side, as the league’s governing body scrambled to resolve another mess closer to home. Therefore, the Yellow Fever will be hoping for another large turnout at Westpac that will compete with the 13,654 fans that were in attendance for the Round 6 victory over Adelaide.
Team news
With both team managers having a large and talented roster of players to choose from, and with each side suffering away defeats last week, it will be interesting to see how Graham Arnold and Ernie Merrick go about selecting their charges this weekend.
The Phoenix are still missing defenders Ben Sigmund and Justin Gulley through injury, while Sydney FC will have an enforced switch to make as young left-back Alex Gersbach was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Jimmy Jeggo in the Sky Blues’ 2-1 loss to a resurgent Adelaide United in round 10. Captain Alex Brosque and winger Andrew Hoole will be back in the Sydney squad for Saturday’s clash, but they will probably have to make a contribution from the bench, as Arnold will be hesitant to start either of them.
Key battle – Roy Krishna v Shane Smeltz
Both players are a crucial part of the frontline for their respective sides. Both men have had a part to play in all 10 games so far this A-League season. However, they could not be in more contrasting form however.
Sydney’s Smeltz is a kiwi A-League veteran; a 34-year-old striker who has amassed over 150 appearances and 87 goals in the competition. Journeyman Smeltz has played for four different clubs from the 07-08 season with the Phoenix, to Central Coast, Perth Glory and in the 2014-15 season Sydney became his latest A-League side. This is Smeltz’s worst ever start to an A-League season, and he has only managed one goal and no assists in 10 matches so far.
The Fijian national team captain Krishna, on the other hand, has been thriving so far, scoring five goals and providing three assists in his 10 starts with the Phoenix this season. In the absence of Nathan Burns, and with marquee man Jeffrey Sarpong yet to score so far, Krishna has stepped up for the Nix in a big way. Now in his third season with the black and yellow, Krishna looks to have embraced his new role as a centre-forward this term. Krishna’s form and fitness will be critical to a Phoenix playoff run, while Smeltz needs to use his experience to make a valuable contribution to Sydney’s stuttering title challenge.
Head-to-Head
Past matches between these two sides have been relatively even, with Sydney FC just getting the better of the Kiwi side and winning 15. Wellington have won 12 of their matchups, and there have only been two draws in 29 matches between these two.
Previous Meeting
The last meeting between the two sides was a dour 0-0 draw at Sydney’s Allianz stadium. In a match that was an erratic foul fest, 43 fouls were conceded, as referee Chris Beath penalised Sydney 29 times and Wellington 14. The persistent calls broke any rhythm this lacklustre game may have had. Fans and players of both sides will be hoping to avoid a repeat performance.
Prediction
Both teams need a result here to maintain the gap between their sides and the teams below them, which are outside the playoff spots and at the bottom of the table. History suggests there will be a winner, however, recent results by both suggest that another draw is the most likely outcome.
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Wellington Phoenix 1 Sydney FC 1
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