Macarthur FC vs Wellington Phoenix: A-League football live scores, blog

Macarthur FC and Wellington Phoenix will go head to head in Macarthur’s second-ever home game when they play at Campbelltown Stadium this afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from kick-off at 5:05pm (AEDT).

Both sides are bouncing back from losses, although each came in relatively different circumstances.

Wellington Phoenix is coming off a 2-1 loss to Sydney FC, but the reigning champions needed two wonder strikes from midfielders Calem Nieuwenhof and Luke Brattan to secure victory.

Comically, Wellington’s goal was not seen live after a technical error caused all of Fox Sports’s cameras to go down for a few minutes, and in that time period the Phoenic dug up an equaliser from youngster Mirza Muratovic.

Muratovic’s positioning throughout the game was interesting. He played on the right side of midfield in a lopsided 4-2-2-2 formation, a place we haven’t seen him in before.

I assumed when Ufuk Talay signed the former Brisbane Roar player that he would be played up top, and with David Ball more than capable of taking his position, it was interesting to see.

Muratovic does have the technical ability to play there but last year was seen at Brisbane in a forward role, where he could drop off the highest line to help link play.

Wellington had a good game but struggled to make and convert any clear-cut chances. However, it is likely we will see a change, with their two superstars, Ulises Davila and Tomer Hemed, returning from injuries.

Davila in particular has to get fit as soon as possible. The attacking midfielder scored 12 and had a hand in five additional goals last season. He progresses the ball forwards brilliantly and is fantastic on the turn. He was a key part of Wellington’s side last season and could have a big impact against Macarthur.

Macarthur themselves have had an interesting start to life in the A-League. A big win in their first game against Western Sydney Wanderers made for a good start, but they stumbled in their first-ever home game, losing 2-0 to the Central Coast Mariners.

They already seem to be a side reliant on ball retention and possession – they had 55 per cent of the ball against the Wanderers and 70 per cent against the Mariners – and they have some quality players, but it will be interesting to see how quickly the squad gels together.

Markel Susaeta impressed in the 30 minutes but lacks match fitness, which is something that will improve, while his halftime replacement, Benat Etxebarria, was also a threat from deep with his long-range passing.

It will be interesting to see the tactical trends behind this game, with both sides preferring to keep possession and build up slowly from the back.

I predict Macarthur will have more of the ball, with Ufuk Talay showing versatility last season to often adjust his side’s game during periods. They would often rotate between periods of the high press and building out from the back before switching to a more vertical style of football, also with pressure at times, although from deeper positions.

However, despite that versatility, I think Macarthur will come out on top. The quality of their players will shine through, and with every game they will improve. I believe Matt Derbyshire will open his A-League account, although Macarthur is yet to score from open play in the two games they’ve played so far.

They will need to create some more clear-cut chances to have a chance in this match, and although I think they will, it remains to be seen.

For commentary and live score updates, check out the blog on The Roar, with the game commencing at 5:05pm (AEDT).

Game information

Kick-off: 5:05pm (AEDT)
Venue: Campbelltown Stadium
TV: ABC, Fox Sports
Live stream: Kayo Sports, Foxtel, MyFootball Live App

Squads

Macarthur FC
Adam Federici, Jake McGing, Antony Golec, Lachlan Rose, Mark Milligan (c), Aleksandar Jovanovic, Ivan Franjic, Denis Genreau, Milislav Popovic, Loic Puyo, Tommy Oar, Yianni Nicolau, Moudi Najjar, Aleksandar Susnjar, Nicholas Suman, James Meredith, Michael Ruhs, Jake Hollman, Liam Rose, Walter Scott, Charles M’Mombwa, Matt Derbyshire, Antonis Martis, Benat, Markel Susaeta

Wellington Phoenix
Stefan Marinovic, Lim McGing, Luke DeVere, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi, Tim Payne, Reno Piscopo, Cameron Devlin, David Ball, Ulises Davila, Jaushua Sotirio, Matthew Ridenton, James McGarry, Alex Rufer, Mirza Muratovic, Louis Fenton, Oliver Sail, Joshua Laws, Clayton Lewis, Ben Waine, Sam Sutton