Wellington Phoenix host the Central Coast Mariners at Westpac Stadium to kick off the second last round of the 2014/15 A-League season. Join The Roar for live scores from 5:30pm (AEDT).
Despite starting Round 26 occupying fifth position on the A-League ladder with just one more round to play, the Phoenix are still well and truly in the hunt for a top two finish and a place in the 2016 Asian Champions League.
With Perth Glory (still technically sitting in third) destined to finish the season seventh, due to penalties handed down by Football Federation Australia for breaches to their salary cap, the Phoenix are really fourth, sitting on equal points with Adelaide United (third), and just a point behind the second placed Sky Blues.
With Sydney FC travelling to face a Newcastle side high on confidence following an away win against the top-of-the-table Melbourne Victory last week, and United making the always tricky trip to Parramatta to face the Wanderers, a strong home win (and some luck on their side) could see Wellington leap-frog into second place to start the final round next week.
However, based on their recent form, confidence won’t be high amongst the Wellington faithful heading into this fixture. In their past three matches the Phoenix have failed to score, while letting through six goals. This is the longest stretch the Phoenix have gone without scoring since September, 2008.
Further more, the last time they faced the Mariners in December – during a period of strong for form the ‘Nix – they only managed a 1-1 draw at home.
The Mariners have managed to find the back of the net in each of their most recent six fixtures; if Wellington can’t break the trend lines today, they risk sacrificing their only chance at playing Champions League next season as the rest of the League’s leaders pounce.
Can the eighth placed Mariners upset Wellington at home? Join The Roar for live scores from 5:30pm (AEST) to find out.
If you are following the action live, be sure to share your thoughts on the match in the comments below.
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Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Central Coast Mariners' star striker Angel Torres has been stood down from playing in the A-League Men after he was charged with sexual assault. …
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The Mariners must deal with possibly their toughest challenge yet - Kyrgyzstan’s FK Abdysh-Ata Kant in the first leg of the semifinal.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
