Can the Wellington Phoenix continue their rich vein of form? Or will the Western Sydney Wanderers put their frustrating Club World Cup campaign behind them to get their domestic season back on track? Join The Roar from 5.00pm (AEDT) for our live scores and coverage of this Round 12 meeting to find out.
Taking on A-League opponents for the first time since their 2-0 loss to Adelaide United on December 6, the Western Sydney Wanderers are still searching for their first win of the season.
Once again they find themselves on the road, facing a red-hot Wellington Phoenix who are aiming to extend their unbeaten run to 5 matches. The Phoenix ruthlessly dismantled Sydney FC last start, while the Wanderers haven’t played since their journey to Morocco for the Club World Cup.
The Phoenix sit in 4th place while Wanderers are on 10th position on the ladder. The last time these two teams met was back in Round 5 when Phoenix won 1-nil.
How Phoenix can win:
To put it simply, the Phoenix are in sublime attacking form. They’ve netted 21 times this season, and while Nathan Burns is responsible for most of those goals (10), they’re proving themselves to be one of the form teams of the competition.
It is a concern that they continually concede goals at home; the last time they kept a clean-sheet in front of the Wellington faithful was coincidently against the Wanderers but they’ve had more than enough class to compensate for that.
The ‘Nix have pace to burn and it is this that has given them an advantage over their A-League rivals. Is there a quicker player with the ball at his feet than Roy Krishna? He’s easily one of the fastest players in the competition over 20 metres, and has been in great form over the last month.
If the Phoenix can score early, they’re a great chance of kicking on and taking this game out.
How Wanderers can win:
No team can lose forever. Now that the Club World Cup is behind them, Tony Popovic’s charges can at last direct all their attention to their A-League campaign. With the knowledge that there is a mid-season break looming on the horizon the Wanderers will want to have at least one win under their belt.
Wellington are vulnerable on the counter, something that the Wanderers have been historically very good at exploiting. Their best chance of winning this game is snagging a goal on the counter and then trying to frustrate the Phoenix out of the game. It’s a strategy that they have used very effectively, and it could be their best chance of stealing those elusive three points. The Wanderers are at the stage where entertainment certainly comes behind the need to win.
With no Topper-Stanley or Mark Bridge, other players will have opportunities to stake their claim for positions. This could potentially reinvigorate the side.
Likely Result:
Honours have been fairly even between these two teams. Playing at home is a huge advantage for the Phoenix against the travel-weary Wanderers.
Phoenix 2-1
Josh
Guest
Thanks for spelling half the WSW players names wrong.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
Thanks for joining The Roar tonight. Enjoy the rest of your evening.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
There were a number of strong performances tonight. Ben Sigmund, Glenn Moss, and Roly Bonevacia all put in a fantastic shift for the home side, while Covic and Juric toiled hard without much success for the Wanderers. The Phoenix will travel to Adelaide to take on the Reds on New Year's Eve, while the Wanderers first opportunity to get a win won't come until 2015 when they play the Mariners on New Year's Day.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
The Phoenix retain fourth spot on the ladder with this 1-nil win over the Wanderers. A Roy Krishna goal in the first half was all that separated the two teams.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
FULLTIME: Wellington 1 def Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
93' Huge moment there - Flags stay down, but it was a brave brave tackle from Riera in the box.
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Roar Guru
92' Paterkis tries to fire off a long distance attempt. The fans cheer as it sails off target. Moss taking as much time as possible before he takes the goal kick. WEL 1 WSW 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
Four minutes of time has been added on. Seems rather long given there hasn't been that many breaks in play - the longest delay was O'Leary telling Krishna to walk off the field the long way.
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
SUB Wellington: The Phoenix make a third and final change. Cunningham is on for Burns who gets a standing ovation. Ange is probably cheering as well! WEL 1 WSW 0
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Roar Guru
SUB WANDERERS: Sotirio on for Haliti.
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Roar Guru
82' Durante tries to head home a swinging kick from McGlinchey. Covic has it well covered. WEL 1 WSW 0
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Roar Guru
82' Fenton is clobbered by Juric, and a very delayed call for the free kick Still no card
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Roar Guru
80' and the fans have their shirts off...they're trying to roar their team home WEL 1 WSW 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
77' Boxall shots from distance and the 'Nix get their first corner for quite some time. Don't the fans love that. And another deflection earns them a second corner. WEL 1 WSW 0
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Roar Guru
76' Moss jumps high to defuse a Golec header. WEL 1 WSW 0 Wellington have a tactical change - Boxall slots into right back, with Fenton pushing forward into the midfield spot usually filled by Lia
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Roar Guru
75' SUB WELLINGTON Boxall on for Vince Lia
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Roar Guru
70' Halitit fires off a shot, but Sigmond does enough to get a touch. WEL 1 WSW 0
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Roar Guru
67' Now Juric tries to slot home an equaliser, but desperate lunges from the Phoenix defence keeps it out. Moss drops a ball cold - Wanderers try to pounce but a desperate McGlinchey clears it. Hectic couple of minutes WEL 1 WSW 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
65' Brockie fires a shot but can't keep it down. They're really trying to lift the momentum. WEL 1 WSW 0
Liam Howitt
Roar Guru
65' Burns shoots over the bar - Wellington broke quickly. gee that was good football from the home side, unlucky for Burns. WEL 1 WSW 0