Phoenix-Auckland A-League doubleheader: What you need to know

Wellington Phoenix – Melbourne Victory

Start: 15:30 on Sunday, November 24th.

Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Auckland v Macarthur

Start: 18:00 Sunday, November 24.

Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Live blog updates from both matches on RNZ Sport.

After the international break, the A-League returns with the Unite Round from Sydney, uniting all A-League fans in their shared disdain for the whole idea.

However, the annual visit to New South Wales has become a real treat for New Zealand football fans, with Wellington Phoenix and Auckland meeting back-to-back on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s matches:

Wellington Phoenix – Melbourne Victory

For Phoenix, this round provides an opportunity to exorcise some demons. They face a team that burned their hopes of winning their first trophy to the ground last season.

However, this is a very different Phoenix team, and the same goes for Victory, who also have a new manager in Patrick Kisnorbo. He has led his team to the top of the A-League table from the start, so it will not be an easy task for Giancarlo Italiano’s men.

Team news

Phoenix faces a potential quarterback dilemma with Tim Payne still recovering from an injury that forced him to miss international duty and Sam Sutton battling a knockout. Lucas Kelly-Hield is also injured, so the Knicks may have to get creative at wide receiver positions. Full-backs seem likely, with Matthew Sheridan and Nathan Walker the most likely candidates.

Fin Roa Conchi is missing again but Costa Barbarouses is out of trouble and should start against his former side.

Forecast

It’s hard to call, that’s it. The Phoenix showed their danger in their last match, defeating defending champions Central Coast 3-0. However, this weakness at full-back can easily be exposed by in-form Rene Piscopo and Nishan Velupillai.

Phoenix may have to wait a little longer to redeem themselves: Melbourne Victory 2-1 Wellington Phoenix.

What do they say

“For me, this game is long gone. This was last year’s team, this was (Tony) Popovich’s team, and this season feels completely different. Now it’s Patty’s (Patrick Kisnorbo) team – he has different ideas and they play.” differently.

“It would be great to play them, I think they are deservedly top of the table and have been good in all their games so far.” – Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano.

Macarthur v Auckland

This will be Auckland’s first trip across the Tasman and their first game since their derby triumph on November 2. This was followed by a bye week and international break, meaning many players had the chance to get some rest and relaxation.

Others had exceptional international breaks, with Liam Gillion making his All Whites debut and Francis de Vries scoring his first goal for New Zealand.

Team news

This break is reflected in team news and there are no new major injury concerns. All Whites striker Max Mata has returned to the squad with hopes of breaking into the starting line-up. Jesse Randall is out with a minor hip injury, but Steve Corica can still name his best team.

Forecast

Auckland’s stellar start has taken many by surprise, and it’s tempting to assume the bubble is bound to burst at some point.

The Bulls are clearly struggling for consistency but can deliver a devastating blow when in good form. That being said, Oakland’s defense is solid and hasn’t conceded yet. While it’s certainly bound to end sooner rather than later, this unbeaten run looks likely to remain: Macarthur 1-1 Auckland.

What do they say

“Through three games we performed exceptionally well. We won all three, kept three clean sheets, so now we need to build on that. It doesn’t matter if we have a couple of weeks off, we want to keep moving forward.

“It was a perfect start actually, so I can’t complain, I just want it to continue.” – Oakland head coach Steve Corica.

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