Help Phoenix get back to winning ways as Victory-less Melbourne head to the Westpac.
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
Sunday 30th October, 4.30pm
Help Phoenix get back to winning ways as Victory-less Melbourne head to the Westpac.
Home is where the heart is and, for Phoenix, home is where the points come from. Considering Wellington’s fantastic record at Westpac Stadium, there is every reason to believe that this Sunday will yield three important points.
As New Zealand continues to bask in the glory of Sunday’s national triumph, football lovers can celebrate once more on Sunday by helping their Hyundai A-League side to a win against Harry Kewell’s Melbourne Victory. Be there!
Last weekend’s mammoth journey to Western Australia ended predictably enough for Ricki Herbert’s men. It’s a tough trip to make, so the team can be applauded for their battling display against a very good side.
In fact, Wellington probably had the better of the possession, but, without suspended vice-captain Tim Brown and injured striker Paul Ifill, they found it hard to penetrate in the final third. Still, they’ll take heart from the performance in general.
Wellington’s threadbare squad will be missing Manny Muscat this weekend, after he received a second yellow card for a high challenge at the end of the Perth defeat.
In his absence, his teammates take on a Melbourne Victory team that are not only still searching for their first win of the 2011/12 Hyundai A-League season but, remarkably considering the wealth of attacking talent they have at their disposal, are also awaiting their first goal.
In front of 39,309 fans at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, Victory enjoyed the majority of possession in their local derby against bitter rivals Melbourne Heart, but couldn’t find the onion bag. Indeed, it took another great display from Ante Covic to keep a clean sheet at the other end.
But Wellington should be warned, goals are just around the corner for Victory. With the likes of Kewell and Solorzano continuing to settle in, and with Archie Thompson carving out scoring opportunities, it is only a matter of time before someone gets punished.
And, with Covic battling to make the No.1 spot his own with just one goal conceded in three tough matches, the home side will have to be at their best to find a way though.
This one is really hard to call. It could go either way, so your support can make all the difference. A couple of weeks ago, The Fever Zone did a fine job in cheering Phoenix to three points, can they do the same on Sunday?
Are Melbourne there for the taking, or will they find their goalscoring form? It is set to be an intriguing match-up, so why be anywhere else?
