Phoenix faces Wanderers looking to maintain second place in A-League’s table

Wellington Phoenix is set to play its full-force team against Western Sydney Wanderers this Friday as they expect to confirm their 2nd spot in the A-League table. Ufuk Talay decided to field a much more younger side in Phoenix’s latest match against Adelaide – players such Brandon Wilson, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi and Callan Elliot started the match that ended up in a 1-1 result. The intention of the Australian head coach was to rest the team for this match against Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium. WSW will not count on their star goalkeeper Daniel Lopar that decided to stay in his homecoutry – Switzerland – to avoid COVID-19 risks. The club is seeking for a very much needed win over the Nix in order to keep their already slim chances to qualify for A-League finals.

Phoenix is expected to field the Mexican Ulises Davila alongside the English striker Gary Hooper for the first time since the restart of the league. The central defender Luke DeVere will also feature alongside his usual defensive back partner Steven Taylor, while Louis Fenton is expected to start in the right back. The players Oliver Sail and Tim Payne will serve their final suspension match from an internal punishment from the club, being also rulled out of the clash but looking forward to be in the match squad when Nix take on Brisbane Roar next Wednesday at the same Bankwest Stadium.

Phoenix currently is ranked second in A-League ladder – the same number points of Melbourne City. A win is vital for the team from New Zealand to continue their in order to grant a home semifinal in the A-League playoffs. While Phoenix is unable to reach Sydney FC anymore at the top of the table, the club might be very happy to secure the 2nd spot as it would be their best ever campaign in A-League’s regular season.

Phoenix and Wanderers clash will be live at FoxSports and at MyFootball app/YouTube channel. The match is set to kick-off at 9:30pm NZT.