The two most out of form teams meet in a vital clash pitting 8th against 7th on Sunday.
Perth Glory managed to snap a losing streak of seven matches with a scoreless draw against a tired Melbourne Heart on Wednesday whilst Wellington Phoenix suffered their first defeat at home in 24 matches, which was their fourth match on the trot without a victory.
Both sides are struggling for goals this term with a combined 27 from 25 matches coming from the pair, and just four goals coming in the last seven matches these teams have played (not counting opposition score).
That suggests to me that this will either be a defensive bore draw or an all-out attacking affair which will rain goals.
As this is the A-League I will opt for the former and tip a lacklustre 1-1 draw to keep both sides just in touch with the top six.
Verdict: 1-1 draw
Perth Glory v Wellington PhoenixDate: Sunday, 7 November 2010 Venue: nib Stadium, Perth Local kick-off: 4.00pm local (7.00pm AEDT) Head-to-Head: All matches (played 11): Perth Glory wins 4, Wellington Phoenix wins 4 (3 draws) Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 1, FS1 HD & Sky Sports 1. Hyundai A-League club broadcast partner is 882 6PR (Perth) and The Radio Network (Wellington) 1035AM. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketmaster.com.au
Perth Glory squad: 1. Tando VELAPHI (gk), 2. Josh MITCHELL 3. Jamie COYNE, 4. Andy TODD, 5. Jamie HARNWELL, 7.Jacob BURNS, 9.Robbie FOWLER, 10. Michael BAIRD, 11. Branko JELIC, 12.Scott NEVILLE, 13. Tommy AMPHLETT, 14. Steven McGARRY, 15. Howard FONDYKE, 16. Adriano PELLEGRINO, 17. Todd HOWARTH, 18. Brent GRIFFTHS 19. Naum SEKULOVSKI, 20. Aleks VRTESKI (gk), 21. Mile STERJOVSKI, 22. Anthony SKORICH, 25. Ryan PEARSON *five to be omitted* In: Jamie HARNWELL (promoted), Branko JELIC (promoted), Steven McGARRY (promoted), Naum SEKULOVSKI (promoted), Anthony SKORICH (promoted), Ryan PEARSON (promoted) Out: Nil Unavailable: Chris COYNE (on loan -4 weeks), Victor SIKORA (Hip - 2 weeks)
Wellington Phoenix squad: 1. Mark PASTON (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 6. Tim BROWN, 7. Leo BERTOS, 8. Paul IFILL, 9. Chris GREENACRE, 11. DANIEL, 15. Jade NORTH, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 21. Marco ROJAS, 22. Andrew DURANTE (c), 23. Dylan MACALLISTER, 26. Simon ELLIOTT In: Marco ROJAS (promoted) Out: Nick WARD (not selected) Unavailable: Tony LOCHHEAD (groin - 6 weeks), Oscar ROBERT CORNEJO (knee - 6 weeks)
Match fact:Wellington Phoenix will be aiming to put a halt its historically high away losing record, the worst of all current Hyundai A-League teams. With 26 losses from its 42 away matches so far (61.9 per cent of its away matches resulting in losses), Wellington Phoenix currently lie only behind former club New Zealand Knights (16 losses from 21 away matches, or 76.2 percent). Only one other club, Perth Glory with 37 losses from 63 away matches (58.7 per cent), lave lost more than half of its away matches.
