Both sides are coming off draws against the Melbourne teams which makes this a tough fixture to pick.
Sydney had some luck in their scoreless draw with the Heart at AAMI Park whilst the Phoenix were brilliant in patches but also dismal at times in the 2-2 draw with the Victory at Westpac Stadium.
The Sky Blues have somewhat resurrected their season to be sitting just four points out of the top six and will be boosted by the return of Stephan Keller and Scott Jamieson which adds to a defence that has kept two clean sheets on the trot.
They will make life tough for the Phoenix forwards, who have found form with four goals in their last two - three of which have been scored by Paul Ifill.
Wellington coach Ricki Herbert will be happy with the return to scoring goals at will but will want his defence to shore up and the return from suspension of Ben Sigmund will go a long way to making that happen.
Sydney would love Brazilian striker Bruno Cazarine back for this one but he remains sidelined with a back injury. His presence would force me to tip the home side but alas I believe the Phoenix are capable of grabbing a point on the road.
Verdict: 1-1 draw
Sydney FC vs. Wellington PhoenixDate: Wednesday, 1 December 2010 Venue:Sydney Football Stadium, SydneyLocal kick-off: 7:00pm Referee: Gerard Parsons Head-to-Head: All matches (played 11): Sydney FC wins 6, Wellington Phoenix wins 4 (1 draw)
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 2, FS2 HD & Sky Sports 2 (NZ). Hyundai A-League club broadcast partner is SBS 6 (Digital) and The Radio Network (Wellington) 1035AM. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
Sydney FC squad: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 2. Sebastian RYALL, 3. Stephan KELLER, 5. Hayden FOXE, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU, 7. Brendan GAN, 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 11. Kofi DANNING, 12. Shannon COLE, 14. Alex BROSQUE, 15. Terry MCFLYNN (c), 16. Terry ANTONIS, 19. Mark BRIDGE, 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 21. Scott JAMIESON, 23. Rhyan GRANT, 24. Dimitri PETRATOS *two to be omitted* In: 21. Scott JAMIESON (flu), 3. Stephan KELLER (concussion) Out: 9. Bruno CAZARINE (back), 22. Sung-Hwan BYUN (suspension - one week) Unavailable: Nicky Carle (Back - 3 Weeks)
Wellington Phoenix squad: 1. Mark PASTON (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 4. Nick WARD, 6. Tim BROWN, 8. Paul IFILL, 9. Chris GREENACRE, 11. DANIEL, 12. James MUSA, 13. Troy HEARFIELD, 15. Jade NORTH, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 21. Marco ROJAS, 22. Andrew DURANTE (c), 23. Dylan MACALLISTER *one to be omitted* In: Ben SIGMUND (returns from suspension), Dylan MACALLISTER (promoted) Out: Leo BERTOS (groin - 1 week) Unavailable: Tony LOCHHEAD (groin - 3 weeks), Oscar Roberto CORNEJO (knee - 3 weeks), Leo BERTOS (groin - 1 week), Simon ELLIOTT (calf - 1 week)
