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Wellington Phoenix host the Newcastle Jets today in the last match of A-League Round One. Join The Roar from 5:00pm (AEDT) for live scores and coverage.
The Jets travel to Westpac Stadium in Wellington where they’ll face a big ask to overcome the Phoenix who are looking to improve on their fourth-placed finish last year, and want to start their campaign off well.
The Jets finished dead last in the 2014-15 season with just three wins to their name for the year, and while they’ll definitely want to make some strides from that, they’re up against it to start of the season in good form.
In the absence of their prolific marquee man Nathan Burns, Wellington have been the source of much attention regarding whether or not they can maintain and build on last season’s success. The only real question on everyone’s mind is where will the goals come from?
The Phoenix know how to play football, and may even be the most entertaining side in the A-League, though without Burns up front creating and scoring goals, they may struggle.
Jeffrey Sarpong is the man Ernie Merrick has put his trust in to replace Burns, though the former Eredivise attacker is largely unproven in this league and may take time to adjust.
And against Newcastle Jets is probably one of the easier matches to help Sarpong adjust, as the Northern NSW side have struggled to add enough depth in the off-season to suggest any massive changes will occur.
Nigel Boogaard is the big mover for Newcastle, though an uninspiring midfield may again be the downfall of the Jets.
Making it even more difficult for the Jets is the overwhelming statistics of previous encounters between these two sides.
In the 25 matches between the two teams Wellington have won 15, and Newcastle winning 6, with 4 draws. The Phoenix are clearly the dominant side and this fixture, and I don’t see Newcastle’s fortunes changing in this match.
Prediciton: Expect Wellington to play an attractive brand of football, with Albert Riera and Michael McGlinchey featuring prominently down the middle of the park. 3-0 to Wellington
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