Wellington Phoenix v Brisbane Roar: match preview

It’s third versus fourth as two high-flying clubs bound for the Hyundai A-League Finals Series aim to pick up speed ahead of the post-season.

While neither Wellington Phoenix or Brisbane Roar have mathematically punched their ticket in the top six, both sides will be spending their final two regular season matches jostling for position among the competition’s challengers.

For Ufuk Talay’s Phoenix, the prize of an all-time best Hyundai A-League finish is within reaching distance to reward the first-year head coach for his stunning transformation of the Kiwi outfit. 

The ’Nix have never finished above fourth in their 13 years in the competition, but one outfit trying to crash the party will be Warren Moon’s Brisbane Roar, who can overtake their Championship rivals with a win at Bankwest Stadium on Wednesday.

Both clubs have had their ups and downs since the restart, with the Queenslanders picking up a crucial 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory, hot on the heels of a 1-0 loss to Adelaide.

All of Wellington’s hard work in 2019/20 could be on the brink of coming undone. They have won only once in four games since the lockdown was lifted – another defeat would be a hammer blow to their chances of re-writing their club’s history books.

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Wednesday, August 5 2020
Kick-off: 6.00pm AEST
Venue: Bankwest Stadium
Broadcast: FOX Sports 507
Stream: MyFootball Live App, Kayo Sports

Ways to watch

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How to follow the action

Match centre: Live updates, videos and statistics

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Team news

Wellington Phoenix squad: 1.Stefan MARINOVIC (gk), 2.Liam McGING, 4.Te Atawhai HUDSON-WIHONGI, 5.Matti STEINMANN, 7.Reno PISCOPO, 8.Cameron DEVLIN, 9.David BALL, 10.Ulises DAVILA, 11.Jaushua SOTIRIO, 12.Brandon WILSON, 13.Liberato CACACE, 14.Alex RUFER, 16.Louis FENTON, 17.Callan ELLIOT, 21.Callum McCOWATT, 27.Steven TAYLOR (c), 30.Zac JONES (gk), 31.Ben WAINE, 32.Sam SUTTON, 88.Gary HOOPER **2-4 to be omitted** 

Ins: 4.Te Atawhai HUDSON-WIHONGI (promoted), 17.Callan ELLIOT (Promoted), 32.Sam SUTTON (Promoted)
Outs: 3.Luke DEVERE (Suspended – 1 Match)
Unavailable: Nil

Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Max CROCOMBE (gk), 2.Scott NEVILLE, 3.Corey BROWN, 4.Daniel BOWLES, 5.Tom ALDRED (c), 6.Macaulay GILLESPHEY, 7.Jai INGHAM, 8.Danny KIM, 10.Bradden INMAN, 12.Matthew RIDENTON, 14.George MELLS, 19.Jack HINGERT, 20.Aaron AMADI-HOLLOWAY, 21.Jamie YOUNG, 23.Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 26.Jay O’SHEA, 27.Kai TREWIN, 29.Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 30.Mirza MURATOVIC, 77.Scott MCDONALD **2-4 to be omitted**

Ins: 14.George MELLS (promoted), 30.Mirza MURATOVIC (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 22.Jake McGING (knee)

Brisbane Roar

Did you know?

  • Brisbane Roar are undefeated in their last five games against Wellington Phoenix in Australia.
  • The Phoenix have conceded just four goals in the first half an hour of games this Hyundai A-League season, fewer than any other club.
  • Roar have averaged 19 shots per game since the Hyundai A-League resumption last month, the most of any team in that period.

Tipping