Sydney FC will go in search of their longest winning streak since 2009 when they host Wellington Phoenix in the Hyundai A-League on Saturday.
Sydney FC will go in search of their longest winning streak since 2009 when they host Wellington Phoenix in the Hyundai A-League on Saturday.
Vitezslav Lavicka’s Sydney side defeated Perth Glory 2-1 at home on February 11, and backed that result up with another 2-1 victory away to Adelaide United last week.
If they beat Wellington this weekend, it will be the first time since December 2009 they have recorded three wins in succession.
It is a remarkable record given the fact Sydney lifted the Hyundai A-League crown several months later, and demonstrates the sleeping giant’s inconsistency in the past two campaigns.
Sydney’s three wins on the bounce in 2009 came in the lead-up to Christmas, starting with a 4-1 rout of North Queensland Fury and followed by 1-0 victories against Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners.
Having come off the back of three defeats in a row, that last hat-trick of wins also sparked a six-match unbeaten run that included four victories in a season in which they would claim the premiership-championship double.
This week they are unlikely to have an easy time of it against a club firmly in contention for a top-four finish.
Wellington have lost their past two matches, but those defeats came against the top two teams in the competition, Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar.
Prior to that, the New Zealand-based side managed four successive victories, against Adelaide, Melbourne Heart, Newcastle and Gold Coast.
In Englishmen Paul Ifill and Chris Greenacre they boast two of the more potent attacking threats in the competition, ably supported by Leo Bertos and Dani Sanchez.
Expect Bruno Cazarine to lead the line for Sydney, while Nicky Carle will be charged with supplying chances for the Brazilian striker in the final third.
Marquee signing Brett Emerton found himself on the scoresheet against Perth, and will team up with Terry McFlynn in a bid to stifle Wellington’s physical approach in midfield.
And while Wellington are not yet certain of their own spot in the finals, sitting fourth but just five points above seventh-placed Newcastle, Sydney FC will be keen to cement their place as they chase a finals berth, having only just gone back inside the top six.
