#FT: Wellington Phoenix FC 4-1 Melbourne Victory
Wellington Phoenix FC scorers: Tomer Hemed (11'), David Ball (36'), Ulises Dรกvila (62'), Clayton Lewis (68')
Melbourne Victory scorers: Elvis Kamsoba (76')
Venue: WIN Stadium
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Wellington Phoenix FC
Oliver Sail, Tim Payne, Steven Taylor, James McGarry, Louis Fenton, Clayton Lewis (Sam Sutton), Alex Rufer, Reno Piscopo (Cameron Devlin), Ulises Dรกvila (Ben Waine), Tomer Hemed (Charles Ngoy), David Ball (Jaushua Sotirio).
Subs: Stefan Marinovic, Joshua Laws.
^____________________________
Melbourne Victory
Matt Acton, Aaron Anderson, Nicholas Ansell, Adama Traorรฉ, Storm Roux (Zaydan Bello), Robbie Kruse, Jacob Butterfield, Jake Brimmer, Elvis Kamsoba (Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio), Ben Folami (Birkan Kirdar), Callum McManaman (Jay Barnett).
Subs: Max Crocombe, Dalibor Markovic.
MATCH EVENTS | via ESPN
45' On: Cameron Devlin|Off: Reno Piscopo
57' On: Birkan Kirdar|Off: Ben Folami
72' On: Charles Ngoy|Off: Tomer Hemed
77' On: Zaydan Bello|Off: Storm Roux
77' On: Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio|Off: Elvis Kamsoba
81' On: Jaushua Sotirio|Off: David Ball
86' On: Jay Barnett|Off: Callum McManaman
90'+1' On: Ben Waine|Off: Ulises Dรกvila
90'+1' On: Sam Sutton|Off: Clayton Lewis
90'+1' Jacob Butterfield Yellow Card
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WELLINGTON PHOENIX 3-0 MELBOURNE VICTORY
Wellington Phoenix Goalscorers: Ulises Davila (3'), Gary Hooper (21'), David Ball (55')
Melbourne Victory Goalscorers:
Competition: 2019/20 Hyundai A-League Regular Season (Round 23)
Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington, NZ
Date: Sunday, March 15th, 2020
Kickoff: 6:20pm NZDT, 4:20pm AEDT
Referee: Alex King
Attendance: 7,519 (Capacity: 34,500)
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 505 (AUS) & Sky Sport 7 (NZ)
Streams: Kayo Sports & My Football Live App
Matchtracker Link: Fox Sports
WELLINGTON W L W W W Last Match: 3-1 @ Central Coast Mariners
MELBOURNE VICTORY D L D W L Last Match: 1-4 vs Sydney FC
Last Time They Met: MVC 0-0 WEL December 14th, 2019
| Starting Eleven | Notes | Substitutes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stefan Marinovic (GK) | Oliver Sail (GK) | ||
| Tim Payne | Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi | ||
| Liberato Cacace | Callum McCowatt | ||
| Steven Taylor | Alex Rufer | 62', 66' | |
| Luke DeVere | Brandon Wilson | ||
| Matti Steinmann | 78' | Jashua Sotirio | 79' |
| David Ball | 55', 87' | Ben Waine | 87' |
| Cameron Devlin | 10', 62' | ||
| Reno Piscopo | 79' | ||
| Gary Hooper | 21' | ||
| Ulises Davila | 3' | Manager: Ufuk Talay |
Starting Eleven | Notes | Substitutes | [Notes](#bar-9-blue
... keep reading on reddit โกMELBOURNE VICTORY vs WELLINGTON PHOENIX
Television: Fox Sports 505.
Radio ABC.
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne.
Referee: Adam Kersey.
Attendance: 15,014. (Capacity: 30,050)
Streams:
MyFootball Live app (Telstra customers), and Kayo.
Preview
Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix are both desperate for the three points when they face-off at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon.
Victory have managed just one win from four games so far in 2019/20 and will be stinging after throwing away a two-goal lead against Western United FC last time out.
But Phoenix has been unable to turn positive performances into wins โ or points โ with Ufuk Talayโs side losing all four games so far this campaign.
And while they drew twice against Victory at AAMI Park last season, the Kiwi club has only won twice against the Big V in Melbourne from 20 attempts.
Lineups
L. Thomas, A. Traorรฉ, T. Deng, J. Donachie, S. Roux, L. Broxham, J. Poulsen, M. Basha, E. Kamsoba, K. Athiu, O. Toivonen (C).
B. White (GK), C. Brown, J. Hope, B. Carrigan, K. Kobras, A. Lesiotis, B. Lauton.
S. Marinovic, T. Payne, S. Taylor (C), L. DeVere, L. Cacace, U. Davila, M. Steinmann, A. Rufer, C. McCowatt, J. Sotirio, D. Ball.
O. Sail (GK), T. Hudson-Wihongi, R. Piscopo, C. Devlin, B. Waine, S. Sutton.
Match Events
-140 An early thread to allow some pre-match discussion. I'll add the teams when they are announced.
-70 The Victory team is out.
-60 The Wellington team is out.
-03 Apologies for the slow updates, there was a Koala in my yard. The Remembrance Day ceremony is underway.
00 Wellington Phoenix gets us kicked off.
03 WELLINGTON PENALTY VAR has a look at an Ola Toivenon hand-ball in the box and the referee decides it is a penalty.
04 WELLINGTON GOAL Ulises Dรกvila scores the penalty after sending Lawrence Thomas the wrong way! 0-1
19 Phoenix booking - Steven Taylor has been shown a yellow card b
... keep reading on reddit โก
MELBOURNE VICTORY vs WELLINGTON PHOENIX
Television: Fox Sports 505 and TenBOLD.
Radio ABC.
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne.
Referee: Shaun Evans.
Attendance: 16,010. (Capacity: 30,050)
Streams:
MyFootball Live app (Telstra customers), Kayo and TenPlay.
Preview
We've reached the pointy end of the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 Season and what better way to start than with a Trans-Tasman clash between two of the competition's most entertaining sides.
Reigning champions Melbourne Victory host Wellington Phoenix at AAMI Park on Friday night (kick-off 7.50pm AEST) in a match-up that is equally as exciting as it is hard to predict.
All three clashes between these two clubs this season have been edge-of-your-seat thrillers, and each one has ended all square.
Kevin Muscatโs Victory finds themselves in a similar position to this time last season.
Melbourne timed their run to perfection, winning two sudden-death games to reach the decider before beating Newcastle Jets to claim the title.
Ominously for their rivals, Victory look to be in much better shape this season than they were 12 months ago.
While Saturday nightโs 1-0 win over the Wanderers was far from a vintage display, this Victory squad is full of experienced, big-game players.
Unlike their hosts, Phoenix stumbled into the finals on the back of a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of premiers Perth.
Coach Mark Rudan rested a host of his stars โ including skipper Andrew Durante, while leading scorer Roy Krishna made a bench cameo โ with one eye on this fixture.
The Phoenix will start outsiders in Melbourne but they matched up well against Victory this season and wonโt be overawed about playing at AAMI Park.
Although, Wellington has never won a finals match away from home, with their last win in the post-season coming way back in 2012 against Sydney FC.
Expect the star strikers in each side to have a huge say in the outcome of this one.
Victoryโs Swedish marksman Ola Toivonen has a shot conversion rate of 30% this season, which is the highest of any player to have registered at least 20 total shots.
But Golden Boot winner Krishna, who finished with 18 goals for the campaign, boasts a shooting accuracy of 68%, the highest of any player (min. 20 shots on target).
So expect plenty of goals and end-to-end action as
... keep reading on reddit โก
No thread up probably because no one cares
Don't expect fancy shit
Nix XI: Moss (gk), Doyle, Rossi, Durante, Tratt, Bonevacia, Lia, Rodriguez, Barbarouses, Krishna, Smeltz
Subs: Italiano (gk), Lowry, Finkler, McGlinchey, Watson
Victory XI: Thomas (gk), Broxham, Baro, Ansell, Geria, Bozanic, Valeri, Troisi, Ben Khalfallah, Rojas, Berisha
Subs: Acton (gk), Georgievski, Beister, Austin, Donachie
4' Rodriguez gets a yellow.
30' Dodgy tackle by Tratt. Deserved a card.
32' ROLY SCORES HIS FIRST FOR THE SEASON 1-0
HT Nix go into the break 1-0 up
48' Yellow for Geria
50' Yellow for Rossi
56' Sub Georgievski on Geria off
67' Ben Khalfallah picks up his 5th yellow for the season
68' Ben Khalfallah off Austin on
69' Yellow for Thomas
72' Sub Roy off McGlinchey on
85' Sub Bozanic off Beister on
86' Yellow for Broxham
88' Thomas with two amazing saves
89' TRATT I FUCKING LOVE YOU 2-0
90' 4 minutes of added time
90+2' Sub Rodriguez off Gui on.
90+2' KOSTA JUST STOP 3-0
FT HOLY FUCK 3-0 TO THE NIX
#FT: Wellington Phoenix FC 2-3 Melbourne Victory
Wellington Phoenix FC scorers: Andrija Kaludjerovic (29', 31')
Melbourne Victory scorers: Besart Berisha (54'), Goran Paracki (57' OG), James Troisi (86')
Venue: Westpac Stadium
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Wellington Phoenix FC
Lewis Italiano, Marco Rossi, Andrew Durante (Hamish Watson), Tom Doyle, Scott Galloway (Daniel Mullen), Dario Vidosic, Matthew Ridenton, Goran Paracki, Andrija Kaludjerovic, Michael McGlinchey (Adam Parkhouse), Roy Krishna.
Subs: Ali Abbas, Keegan Smith.
^____________________________
Melbourne Victory
Lawrence Thomas, Rhys Williams, Thomas Deng, Stefan Nigro, Jason Geria, James Troisi, Carl Valeri, Matรญas Sรกnchez (Leigh Broxham), Besart Berisha, Kosta Barbarouses (Christian Theoharous), Leroy George (Jai Ingham).
Subs: Matt Acton, Josh Hope.
MATCH EVENTS | via ESPNFC
29' Goal! Wellington Phoenix 1, Melbourne Victory 0. Andrija Kaluderovic (Wellington Phoenix) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Scott Galloway with a cross.
31' Goal! Wellington Phoenix 2, Melbourne Victory 0. Andrija Kaluderovic (Wellington Phoenix) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Tom Doyle.
40' Michael McGlinchey (Wellington Phoenix) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45' Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Adam Parkhouse replaces Michael McGlinchey because of an injury.
54' Goal! Wellington Phoenix 2, Melbourne Victory 1. Besart Berisha (Melbourne Victory) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner.
57' Own Goal by Goran Paracki, Wellington Phoenix. Wellington Phoenix 2, Melbourne Victory 2.
59' Matthew Ridenton (Wellington Phoenix) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
67' Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Leigh Broxham replaces Matรญas Sรกnchez.
68' Goran Paracki (Wellington Phoenix) is shown the yellow card.
77' Stefan Nigro (Melbourne Victory) is shown the yellow card for a bad f
... keep reading on reddit โก
Wellington Phoenix 2-0 Melbourne Victory
A-League Round 9
Stadium: QBE Stadium, Auckland
Attendance: 10,852
Referee: Alex King Alan Milliner
Phoenix Line-up: Moss, Muscat, Durante (c), Doyle, Fenton, Lia, Rodriguez, Riera, McGlinchey, Bonevacia, Krishna
Victory Line-up: Vukovich, Delpierre, Broxham (c), Georgievski, Geria, Mahazi, Finkler, Bozanic, Berisha, Ben Khalfallah, Barbarouses
| H2H | Phoenix | Victory |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 7th, 11pts | 1st, 16pts |
| WLD | 3/2/3 | 5/1/1 |
| GD | -1 | +7 |
0': One of the two teams kicks off, kit clash is as amateur as the presentation of this match thread.
13': Free kick given to the Phoenix on the edge of the box, near miss by McGlinchey
18': PHOENIX GOAL - Krishna looks to stuff up a chance but recovers to score from an impossible angle 1-0 Phoenix. Credit to /u/-Volumes_ as always
22': Yellow card to Berisha for a poor tackle
35': Great move by Bonevacia to get into the box but it's well saved
36': From the resulting corner Durante gets off a shot but it narrowly misses
44': PHOENIX GOAL - Krishna gets past 2 before setting up a Bonevacia goal. 2-0 to the 'Nix
45 +2': The half time whistle goes with the Phoenix leading 2-0
| HT | Phoenix | Victory |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 2 | 0 |
| Shots (OT) | 7(3) | 1(1) |
| Possession | 38% | 62% |
50': Bozanic delivers a great cross to Barabarouses but he fluffs the finish
55': Khalfallah finds the back of the net but Berisha is offside and it doesn't stand
56': Yellow card to Muscat for a foul on Berisha
59': Finkler shoots from outside the box but it's punched away by Moss
68': Moss drops a sitter but Berisha can't put it away
74': Alan Milliner's done a hammy!
... keep reading on reddit โก#FT: Wellington Phoenix 1-4 Melbourne Victory
Wellington Phoenix scorers: R. Bonevacia 82'
Melbourne Victory scorers: B. Berisha 8', O. Bozaniฤ 19', K. Barbarouses 56', G. Howard 90'+
Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Referee: B. Williams
/r/soccerstreams
Wellington Phoenix
G. Moss, B. Sigmund, A. Durante, T. Doyle, Albert Riera, R. Bonevacia, M. Muscat, M. McGlinchey, V. Lia, R. Krishna, B. Powell.
Subs: L. Italiano, D. Fox , L. Fenton, Alex Gorrin, H. Watson.
^____________________________
Melbourne Victory
L. Thomas, M. Delpierre, D. Georgievski, S. Galloway, Guilherme, O. Bozaniฤ, R. Mahazi, L. Broxham, B. Berisha, K. Barbarouses, F. Ben Khalfallah.
Subs: D. Vukoviฤ, J. Geria, C. Valeri, G. Howard, A. Thompson.
MATCH EVENTS | via goal.com
Just making a simple Pre-Match Thread for tonights two fixtures. If you don't want to read the entire post the basic information is underneath this first paragraph.
THE MATCHES
ADELAIDE UNITEDVSWELLINGTON PHOENIX
KICK OFF5:35PM AEDT (5:05PM LOCAL)
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERSVSMELBOURNE VICTORY
MATCH PREVIEW
ADELAIDE UNITEDVSWELLINGTON PHOENIX
-
Adelaide United are out to build on a dramatic 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets when they host in-form Wellington Phoenix on Saturday evening.
-
Marco Kurzโs men left Newcastle with a priceless three points thanks to Craig Goodwinโs last-ditch penalty, snapping a three-match winless run in the process.
REAL DEAL: Wellington showing true potential
HOW TO WATCH: See every game in Round 11 of the Hyundai A-League
SIGNING NEWS: Nix sign international striker
-
However, the Reds face a big test in the form of visiting Wellington Phoenix, who are unbeaten in their last four matches and could issue a huge statement of intent with a victory in the City of Churches.
-
Furthering the threat posed by Wellington is the signing of giant Irish international Cillian Sheridan, adding another attacking weapon for Mark Rudan.
-
The 29-year old striker has played for Scottish giants Celtic and is sure to provide a nice contrast to speedy striker Roy Krishna.
-
The Reds will need to be wary of the Phoenix's ability on the counter in what is shaping up as a fascinating clash.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERSVSMELBOURNE VICTORY
- Itโs been just over a month since Wanderers were on the end of a 4-0 drubbing against Victory at Marvel Stadium in one of the most devastat
Melbourne Victory 3-0 Sutherland Wellington Phoenix
| Competition: | A-League Round 4 |
|---|---|
| Kick-Off: | 7:30pm AEDT, 9:30pm NZDT |
| Venue: | Etihad Stadium, Melbourne |
| Referee: | Shaun Evans |
| Attendance: | 24,934 |
| Stream: | Stream |
| Melbourne Victory | Notes | Notes | Wellington Phoenix |
|---|---|---|---|
| (GK) Vukovic | Moss (GK) | ||
| Georgievski | Muscat | ||
| Delpierre | Sigmund | ||
| Broxham | Durante | ||
| Geria | Doyle | ||
| Bozanic | Lia | ||
| Finkler | Bonevacia | ||
| (C) Valeri | Riera | ||
| Khalfallah | Krishna | ||
| Berisha | x2 | Sarpong | |
| Barbarouses | McGlinchey |
SUBS:
| Melbourne Victory | Notes | Notes | Wellington Phoenix |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Coach) Kevin Muscat | Ernie Merrick (Coach) | ||
| (GK) Thomas | Italiano (GK) | ||
| Pain | Rodriguez | ||
| Mahazi | Powell | ||
| Howard | Ridenton | ||
| Deng | Fenton |
| Head to Head: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Form: | --DWL | l | --LWW |
| Position: | 6th, 4pts | l | 4th, 6pts |
| W/D/L: | 1/1/1 | l | 2/0/1 |
| Goals: | 3, 0 GD | l | 6, +1 GD |
| Clean Sheets: | 1 | l | 0 |
Both teams will be out there to prove a point today: after having what is arguably the most disappointing start to the season (compared to expectations), the Victory will be looking to prove that they still are as dangerous as they
... keep reading on reddit โก#FT: Melbourne Victory 2-0 Wellington Phoenix FC
Melbourne Victory scorers: Rudy Gestede (45'+3', 49')
Venue: AAMI Park
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Melbourne Victory
Max Crocombe, Dylan Ryan (Aaron Anderson), Ryan Shotton (Zaydan Bello), Dalibor Markovic, Leigh Broxham, Robbie Kruse, Birkan Kirdar, Jake Brimmer, Rudy Gestede (Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio), Marco Rojas (Jacob Butterfield), Callum McManaman (Jay Barnett).
Subs: Matt Acton, Elvis Kamsoba.
^____________________________
Wellington Phoenix FC
Oliver Sail, Liam McGing, Tim Payne, James McGarry, Louis Fenton, Ulises Dรกvila, Alex Rufer, Cameron Devlin, Ben Waine, Reno Piscopo (Charles Ngoy), Mirza Muratovic (Clayton Lewis).
Subs: Stefan Marinovic, Matthew Ridenton, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi, Joshua Laws, Sam Sutton.
MATCH EVENTS | via ESPN
5' On: Aaron Anderson|Off: Dylan Ryan
18' Mirza Muratovic Yellow Card
24' Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Jacob Butterfield replaces Marco Rojas because of an injury.
37' Ryan Shotton (Melbourne Victory) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45' On: Zaydan Bello|Off: Ryan Shotton
45'+3' Rudy Gestede Goal - Header
49' Rudy Gestede Goal - Header
50' Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Clayton Lewis replaces Mirza Muratovic.
55' Dalibor Markovic (Melbourne Victory) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
62' Aaron Anderson Yellow Card
73' Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Jay Barnett replaces Callum McManaman.
73' Substitution, Melbourne Victory. Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio replaces Rudy Gestede.
75' Substitution, Wellington Phoenix. Charles Lokoli Ngoy replaces Reno Piscopo.
*^(Don't see a thread for a match you're watching?) ^(Click here) ^(to lea
... keep reading on reddit โก#FT: Melbourne Victory 0-0 Wellington Phoenix FC
Venue: AAMI Park
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Melbourne Victory
Lawrence Thomas, Leigh Broxham, James Donachie, Adama Traorรฉ, Anthony Lesiotis, Kristijan Dobras, Jakob Poulsen, Migjen Basha (Jay Barnett), Ola Toivonen, Robbie Kruse (Storm Roux), Andrew Nabbout (Elvis Kamsoba).
Subs: Corey Brown, Brendan White, Benjamin Carrigan, Brandon Lauton.
^____________________________
Wellington Phoenix FC
Stefan Marinovic, Luke DeVere, Steven Taylor, Liberato Cacace, Tim Payne, Ulises Davila, Matti Steinmann (Ben Waine), Cameron Devlin, David Ball, Reno Piscopo (Gary Hooper), Jaushua Sotirio (Callum McCowatt).
Subs: Oliver Sail, Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi, Liam McGing.
MATCH EVENTS | via ESPN
31' James Donachie (Melbourne Victory) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
32' Matti Steinmann Yellow Card
48' Kristijan Dobras Yellow Card
69' On: Gary Hooper|Off: Reno Piscopo
73' Andrew Nabbout Yellow Card
74' Jaushua Sotirio (Wellington Phoenix) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
75' On: Jay Barnett|Off: Migjen Basha
81' On: Callum McCowatt|Off: Jaushua Sotirio
86' Cameron Devlin Yellow Card
87' On: Ben Waine|Off: Matti Steinmann
87' On: Elvis Kamsoba|Off: Andrew Nabbout
90'+3' On: Storm Roux|Off: Robbie Kruse
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MELBOURNE VICTORY vs WELLINGTON PHOENIX
Television: Fox Sports 505.
Radio ABC.
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne.
Referee: Jarred Gillett.
Attendance: 18,136. (Capacity: 30,050)
Streams:
MyFootball Live app (Telstra customers).
Preview
This one has classic written all over it as Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix look set to repeat their high-quality encounter back in Round 10.
While only two goals were scored at AAMI Park, the sides simply couldnโt be split in a match that had a real finals intensity to it.
Four rounds later and this much-anticipated second bout is just around the corner with both teams continuing their winning ways.
Victory made another emphatic statement of their title credentials, thumping Brisbane Roar 5-0 at Suncorp Stadium on Tuesday night.
With Kosta Barabrouses scoring a sublime hat-trick - and James Troisi at his creative best - Victory have seemingly overcome the absence of marquee man Keisuke Honda with relative ease.
Aside from a 2-0 loss away to Adelaide United, they have managed to pick up some hard-fought wins and remain in touch with league-leaders Perth Glory.
The Phoenix meanwhile have been on a roller-coaster ride in recent weeks, emerging victorious in some crazy games.
This seasonโs entertainers came from behind twice in the space of two weeks to beat Western Sydney Wanderers and Central Coast Mariners 3-2 on each occasion.
Mark Rudanโs men will probably have to be more defensively sound at AAMI Park against a Victory side who can quickly put the game beyond reach for anyone in the Hyundai A-League.
Lineups
L. Thomas, C. Brown, L. Broxham, T. Deng, S. Roux, C. Valeri (C), T. Antonis, J. Hope, J. Troisi, K. Barbarouses, O. Toivonen.
SUBS M. Acton (GK), K. Athiu, R. Baena, R. Akbari, E. Kamsoba.
F. Kurto, T. Doyle, A. Durante (C), S. Taylor, L. Cacace, Mandi, A. Rufer, L. Fenton, S. Singh, D. Williams, R. Krishna.
SUBS O. Sail (GK), D. Fox, C. Sheridan, M. Kopczyลski, M. Burgess.
Match Events
-140 An
... keep reading on reddit โกMELBOURNE VICTORY vs WELLINGTON PHOENIX
Television: Fox Sports 505.
Radio ABC.
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne.
Referee: Daniel Elder.
Attendance: 20,066. (Capacity: 30,050)
Streams:
MyFootball Live app (Telstra customers).
Preview
Mark Rudanโs Phoenix have won three on the trot, defeating Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar in an eye-catching run of form that has seen them surge into the top six.
Key to Phoenixโs impressive form has been a high-pressing game, the goals of Roy Krishna and the midfield trickery of teenage sensation Sarpreet Singh.
The 19-year-old Singh was simply outstanding in a 4-1 win over Brisbane Roar in Round 9, scoring a free-kick and producing a series of surging runs into the final third.
Wellington will face a side who are also on an excellent run of their own with Kevin Muscatโs Victory unbeaten in seven - of which six have been wins.
Victoryโs winning run came to an end in a 1-1 Melbourne Derby draw with City in Round 9 as Dario Vidosicโs stoppage-time equaliser cancelled out Ola Toivonenโs effort.
But marquee man Keisuke Honda is set to return for this one in a huge boost for the home side.
The free-scoring Victory average better than two goals per game and with the likes of Honda, Ola Toivonen, Kosta Barbarouses and James Troisi in fine touch will take some stopping.
Phoenix have won three of their last five clashes against Victory, including a 3-0 success at AAMI Park in April 2017.
Victory came from behind to win the last meeting between the two sides, though, Leroy George and Kenny Athiu scoring in the last seven minutes in a 2-1 success.
Lineups
L. Thomas, C. Brown, N. Ansell, T. Deng, S. Roux, C. Valeri (C), T. Antonis, L. Broxham, J. Troisi, O. Toivonen, K. Barbarouses.
SUBS M. Acton (GK), K. Athiu, B. Kirdar, J. Hope, R. Akbari.
F. Kurto, T. Doyle, A. Durante (C), S. Taylor, L. Cacace, Mandi, A. Rufer, L. Fenton, S. Singh, D. Williams, R. Krishna.
SUBS O. Sail (GK), N. Burns, M. Kopczyลski, R. Lowry, M. Burgess.
[](#
... keep reading on reddit โก WELLINGTON AUCKLAND PHOENIX vs MELBOURNE VICTORY
Kick Off: 5:35 pm AEDT/ 7:35 pm NZDT.
Television: Fox Sports 505.
Radio ABC.
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland.
Referee: Peter Green.
Attendance: 23,648. (Capacity: 50,000)
Streams:
MyFootball Live app (Telstra customers).
Preview
Melbourne Victory are down but are by no means out of the Premiership race.
The reigning Hyundai A-League Champions were dealt a big blow in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Perth Glory.
That was a loss that has handed Kevin Muscat's side a seven point deficit to overturn in order to retain their trophy come to the beginning of the Finals Series.
It makes Friday night's contest with Wellington Phoenix all the more daunting for the second-placed Victory.
Victory have struggled when making the trip across the Tasman in recent times, losing three of their last five away trips to the Phoenix.
Moreover, they must contend with the unfamiliar surroundings of Eden Park, an arena where Melbourne have never played, and Phoenix have never lost.
The last two Hyundai A-League encounters between these two have finished enthralling draws, and with Wellington aiming to nail down their top six ambitions, it is sure to be another classic contest.
Lineups
F. Kurto, M. Kopczyลski, A. Durante (C), S. Taylor, L. Cacace, Mandi, A. Rufer, L. Fenton, D. Williams, S. Singh, R. Krishna.
SUBS O. Sail (GK), D. Fox, C. Sheridan, A. Golec, M. Burgess.
L. Thomas, L. Broxham (C), G. Niedermeier, T. Deng, S. Roux, A. Lesiotis, R. Baena, E. Kamsoba, J. Troisi, K. Athiu, K. Barbarouses.
SUBS M. Acton (GK), C. Brown, K. Honda, J. Hope, J. Donachie.
Match Events
-180 A nice Friday twilight match against the Wellington Phoenix New Zealand Knights and the Melbourne Victory today means another early match thread so I don't have to rush at the last minute when I think it's on at 7 PM.
-80 The Victory team is out and Donachie is back, he starts on the bench, however.
-60 The Wellington team is out and now we wait.
-02 The t
... keep reading on reddit โก#FT: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Wellington Phoenix FC
Melbourne Victory scorers: Ola Toivonen (66')
Wellington Phoenix FC scorers: Ulises Davila (5' PEN)
Venue: AAMI Park
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
Melbourne Victory
Lawrence Thomas, Thomas Deng, James Donachie, Migjen Basha (Anthony Lesiotis), Adama Traorรฉ, Storm Roux, Leigh Broxham, Jakob Poulsen, Elvis Kamsoba, Kenjok Athiu (Kristijan Dobras), Ola Toivonen.
Subs: Corey Brown, Brendan White, Josh Hope, Benjamin Carrigan, Brandon Lauton.
^____________________________
Wellington Phoenix FC
Stefan Marinovic, Luke DeVere, Steven Taylor, Liberato Cacace, Tim Payne, Matti Steinmann, Alex Rufer, Jaushua Sotirio, Callum McCowatt (Cameron Devlin), Ulises Davila (Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi), David Ball (Ben Waine).
Subs: Oliver Sail, Reno Piscopo, Sam Sutton.
MATCH EVENTS | via ESPN
5' Ulises Davila Penalty - Scored
45'+3' Leigh Broxham Yellow Card
68' On: Ben Waine | Off: David Ball
76' On: Cameron Devlin | Off: Callum McCowatt
79' On: Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi | Off: Ulises Davila
81' Stefan Marinovic Yellow Card
86' On: Kristijan Dobras | Off: Kenjok Athiu
90'+4' On: Anthony Lesiotis | Off: Migjen Basha
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