Wellington Phoenix take on Perth Glory expecting to recover from recent defeat

Wellington Phoenix did not have a good return to competitive football last week, when they suffered a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat against Sydney FC. The only New Zealand’s full-professional club – and of entire OFC – expects a much better performance today when they take on Perth Glory at Bankwest Stadium, 9:30pm NZT.

Glory won their most recent match against Central Coast Mariners thanks to a goal of New Zealand international Dane Ingham, while the Nix could not hold they 1-0 lead against Sydney and ended up suffering a 3-1 defeat full of defensive mistakes from the team coached by Ufuk Talay.

The New Zealanders Tim Payne and Oli Sail continue out of Phoenix squad; they were suspended for four matches after breaking quarentine in Phoenix camp in Australia and will be out of the clasg against Glory and the next two matches against Adeilaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers.

The good news for the Yellow Fever is that the good performer Cameron Devlin is back from suspension and will be available for Ufuk Talay. Devlin is expected to start the match in place of Alex Rufer.

After the worst match so far for Ulises Dávila as Wellington Phoenix player, it is also expected the Mexican can start the match alongside the English marquee striker Gary Hooper. Ben Waine and Jaushua Sotirio started the match instead of the usual duo in the latest clash against Sydney.

Phoenix will not need to worry to stop the Spanish playmaker Diego Castro; the veteran player decided not to play for Glory regarding concerns on COVID-19 infection. Despite Castro’s absence, the Uruguyan marksman Bruno Fornaroli will be there and he might be the top priority for Steven Taylor and Luke DeVere to deal with.

A defeat could be terrible for Phoenix aspirations in the league: the club is placed 3rd in the ladder, while Glory is 5th. A win for the Perth side would put them ahead of Phoenix in the table – sending the Nix for the 4th place.