Thrilling finishes, goalie heroics and a Sky Blue derby: The A-League players who were the difference in Round 24
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
Wellington had 14 more shots than the Western Sydney Wanderers but the two sides fought out a 1-all draw on Saturday.
Final score
Wellington Phoenix 1
Western Sydney Wanderers 1
The A-League’s bottom team host a side on the edge of finals when the Wellington Phoenix welcome the Western Sydney Wanderers to New Zealand. Join The Roar for live scores from the match at Westpac Stadium on Saturday, starting from 5:35pm AEDT.
While the Wellington Phoenix may find themselves on the bottom of the ladder at this exact moment, they have a few reasons to be happy, perhaps optimistic, even a little excited.
It’s true the team has won only two matches for the season so far, but their most recent win came just a few days ago, when they defeated Melbourne Victory 2-1 at home on Wednesday night.
On top of that, a fact that’s worth keeping in mind is that they’re one of only two teams in the league to be a game behind the pack – so when it comes to trying to make up ground, they will have a game in hand to do it with.
Finals isn’t that much of a pipe dream just yet as the majority of teams below the top two of Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets have been inconsistent and unimpressive, and the Nix can dare to dream. Getting off the bottom of the table would be a good start.
Their opponents today, coincidentally, are the other team to hold a game in hand, the Western Sydney Wanderers. They have four wins for the season and at the moment find themselves in sixth place on the table.
The Wanderers’ most recent win came last Friday against the Brisbane Roar, 2-0, and they can boast an undefeated streak across their last three matches – in fact, they could technically call themselves undefeated in 2018 if they really wanted to – their most recent loss having been against the Jets before Christmas.
Prediction
The Wanderers are in better form, but the Nix have the home ground advantage. Tough call.
1-1 draw.
Join The Roar for live scores from the match between the Wellington Phoenix and the Western Sydney Wanderers at Westpac Stadium on Saturday, starting from 5:35pm AEDT.