Will Wellington win at Westpac Stadium or can Perth pick their pockets? Grab a ticket today and find out!
Will Wellington win at Westpac Stadium or can Perth pick their pockets? Grab a ticket today and find out!
What a feast of football it’s proving to be in Wellington at the moment, as Phoenix play their second game at Westpac Stadium in five days. Following Wednesday’s match-up with Sydney FC, once again it’s up to The Fever Zone to turn up in numbers and create non-stop noise as Perth Glory make the long, long journey east. Get ready for a scintillating Sunday, as three points are hotly contested between these two ladder rivals. Is there a better way to spend your afternoon than watching cracking Hyundai A-League action? Surely not!
This match is sure to be as close as they come, as there has been nothing to choose between these two sides in their meetings so far in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season. In Week Three, Glory hosted Phoenix at nib Stadium and maintained what was a perfect start to the campaign with a 1-0 victory. The vital strike came, predictably enough, from the boot of talismanic striker Shane Smeltz, who volleyed home from close range in the 33rd minute for his 52nd Hyundai A-League goal. The result though was perhaps a little harsh on the side from New Zealand, who enjoyed the majority of possession but, without suspended vice-captain Tim Brown and injured striker Paul Ifill, lacked the cutting edge that their intelligent build-up play was crying out for.
Still, they didn’t have to wait very long to exact their revenge for this early-season loss. Early December saw the two sides come face-to-face again – this time in Wellington – in what was an uncharacteristically scrappy and fairly ill-tempered encounter. As the season progressed and form from both clubs continued to be inconsistent, the desperate battle for points led to a full-blooded affair, which was settled by a late Ben Sigmund header. Following this 85th minute winner, Phoenix finished the match with 10 men after substitute Mirjan Pavlovic was sent off for a foul on Steve Pantelidis deep in stoppage-time, but Glory didn’t have enough time to make their numerical advantage count. The match proved that, while many kilometres separate these two opponents, there is no love lost between them and their matches are played with the same intensity as a local derby.
With both teams having won one-a-piece in their previous two battles this season, Sunday proves to be the decider. Will Perth buck the trend and embark on the lengthy journey back to WA with three points under their belts, or can Wellington make home advantage count once again and secure the win that would boost their finals hopes as we head into the second-half of the season? One thing seems certain, this will be an incredibly closely fought contest, so your contribution from the stands could make every bit of difference. Pull on your colours and sing your side to a crucial win!
