The clash
Melbourne City will be looking to leapfrog Wellington Phoenix on the league ladder when they take on the ‘Nix at Westpac Stadium on Sunday evening.
Head Coach Warren Joyce and his men are coming off a 0-0 draw with fellow top-four hopefuls Adelaide United at AAMI Park in Round 25.
With a flurry of chances at both ends, shot-stopper’s Eugene Galekovic and Paul Izzo proved to be the most influential payers on the field, keeping their respective sides in the contest.
With the score locked at 0-0 at the full-time whistle, the race to register a home final continues this weekend, as City take on fellow top-four hopefuls Wellington Phoenix.
The ‘Nix will be looking to bounce back in Round 26, following their disappointing 2-1 loss to Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium last week.
Brisbane’s Eric Bautheac opened the scoring with a wonderful goal, skipping through Wellington’s defence before finishing truly from the tightest of angles. The Frenchman then doubled the hosts lead with a cool finish at the back post, to make it 2-0 at the break. Wellington hit back from a corner, as Steven Taylor’s towering header powered into the back of the net, but it wasn’t enough as the Roar held on for the three points.
With both teams equal on 37 points, Sunday night’s clash is set to be an enthralling battle between two teams searching for a home final.
Team news
Two key inclusions headline this week’s team news. Full Team News here.
Last time they met
The last time the two teams met was in Round 16, when Wellington defeate”d City 1-0 at Westpac Stadium.
A fierce finish from inside the box by David Williams in the 5th minute proved to be the difference between the two sides.
What was said
Head Coach Warren Joyce
“I think every game has been a big game for the last several weeks really, so it’s no different than that, no different to our approach… we go there knowing that they’re a good side, well organised and they’ve got threats so we’ve got to deal with them threats and give them some problems – everyone’s looking forward to the game.”
Where and when
City take on Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium on Sunday 21 April, kick-off 5:00pm (AEDT), before hosting Central Coast in the final match of the regular season on Friday 26 April, kick-off 7:50pm, get your tickets here.
