Despite being ruled out on Friday morning, Wellington Phoenix captain Alex Rufer has been named to START the first-ever New Zealand Derby, as the ‘Nix host Auckland FC.
Officially scratched by ‘Nix boss Giancarlo Italiano in his pre-match press conference, Rufer has seemingly made a miraculous recovery after picking up a knock during Wellington’s round two win over Perth Glory.
The news comes as a huge boost for the ‘Nix as they welcome their new rivals to Sky Stadium in a game which is set to house over 20,000 fans in the Kiwi capital.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ALL THRE ACTION LIVE ON PARAMOUNT+
Running out for what will be his 150th appearance for the club, Rufer is also joined in the squad by new signing Marco Rojas.
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Wellington head into the game sat second on the ladder after collecting four points from their opening two games.
How to watch?
Viewers in Australia can catch all the action from the NZ Derby live on Paramount+. Viewers in New Zealand, you can tune in live via Sky Sports.
