Match preview: Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix

The top four picture could be a lot clearer after Adelaide United’s clash with Wellington Phoenix at Coopers Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Phoenix – currently fourth – head to the City of Churches with a three-point gap to the fifth-placed Reds knowing a win will all but assure them a home Elimination Final.

And they have every reason to feel confident having won their last three matches in the Hyundai A-League, scoring a record 15 goals in the process.

But visits to South Australia haven’t been kind to the Kiwi outfit in recent seasons.

Wellington have managed just one win from their last 10 games at Coopers Stadium, conceding multiple goals in all but two of those meetings.

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Mark Rudan’s side will be boosted by the return of the league’s joint-leading goalscorer (15 goals) Roy Krishna from suspension.

Meanwhile, the Reds are coming off a morale-boosting 1-0 win over the Mariners in their last outing.

The victory snapped a five-game winless run for Marco Kurz’s men and while they will be relieved to have stopped the rot, they are still having issues in front of goal.

Only the Mariners (27) have managed fewer than Adelaide’s 28 goals for the season so far.

The Reds are unbeaten against Wellington this season though, picking up a 3-1 win at Westpac Stadium, while the previous clash in Adelaide ended goalless.

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Key Opta stats

  • Adelaide United are undefeated in their last 10 Hyundai A-League games against Wellington Phoenix (W6, D4), having kept a total of six clean sheets in that time.
  • The Phoenix have won their last three Hyundai A-League games on the bounce – in which they’ve scored 15 goals; the last time they won more in succession was a four-game streak in March 2015.
  • The Reds have failed to score a second-half goal in any of their last six Hyundai A-League games, picking up just one win in that period (D2, L3).

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How to watch

Tune in to FOX SPORTS 505 to see which side takes a giant step towards the top four, with kick-off at 5.00pm (AET). You can also stream it live on the MyFootball Live App, or subscribe to Kayo Sports.

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Tickets

CLICK HERE to secure your seat at Coopers Stadium for this battle for the top four.

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