Editor
After wins over Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart, Sydney FC can climb into third with a win over Wellington Phoenix in the first game of a Saturday night A-League triple header. Join us for live scores and commentary from 5.30pm AEDT.
The Sky Blues have eased the pressure on coach Frank Farina in the past fortnight, with two wins moving them back into the top six after six rounds of the A-League season.
Unsurprisingly, their return to form has coincided with Alessandro Del Piero coming back into the lineup after injury, and he’ll again be relied upon against the Phoenix this afternoon.
But for Sydney to effectively function over the course of 27 rounds they will need more from their other established stars – the likes of Brett Emerton, Richard Garcia and Nicky Carle.
Newly signed Serbian striker Ranko Despotovic could make his first appearance in a Sky Blues shirt, although Farina indicated that the former Urawa Red Diamonds frontman will come off the bench.
Wellington head to Sydney after a two-week break, with a number of Phoenix players serving on international duty in the All Whites’ unsuccessful two-legged tie against Mexico.
Glen Moss, Andrew Durante, Ben Sigmund, and Jeremy Brockie all come back in having played on Wednesday night, and Wellington’s fortunes could well depend on how well these players have recovered from a gruelling ten days.
While Wellington languish in ninth they have shown signs of promise in their five matches so far this season and perhaps deserve more than the three points they currently hold.
With Sydney still not particularly impressive, despite their wins, Wellington will head across the Tasman confident of taking at least a point back home with them.
For Sydney, this could be a chance to win three consecutive games for the first time in four years and inject some genuine momentum into their season.
Can they do it? Find out from 5.30pm AEDT.