Preview: Wellington Phoenix vs. Western Sydney Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

While the visitors currently occupy second position in the standings, the home side are down in eighth spot, and there are seven points separating the two teams.

Match preview

With the A-League only six games old, there is leeway for many things to change during the course of the campaign, but Wellington Phoenix head into this encounter aware that they could do with a positive return to action.

Before the break for the World Cup, just six points were posted from as many games, their solitary success coming against fourth-placed MacArthur by a 4-1 scoreline.

Having produced their best football in the final 25 minutes, it highlighted that Wellington can match the more in-form sides across 90 minutes, yet Ufuk Talay's side must improve if they are to move up the table.

Although Phoenix have scored in every match, they are also yet to keep a clean sheet, leaving the New Zealand outfit with the joint-second worst defensive record in the division.

Wellington have also already played two more games at home than away, placing more pressure on accumulating at least another point at the weekend.

From the perspective of Western Sydney Wanderers, they would not have wanted the World Cup break to come after collecting 13 points from a possible 18.

A 3-0 defeat to the inconsistent Central Coast Mariners was a disappointment, but Mark Rudan's team responded with a 1-0 win away at Sydney FC.

That represented their fourth clean sheet of the season, leaving Wanderers with the joint-best defensive record in the A-League.

Having also not conceded away from home in two games, everything points to a positive return to league action, but it remains to be seen how they will react to having their momentum halted by almost a month.

Wellington Phoenix Australian A-League form:

D

D

L

D

W

L

Western Sydney Wanderers Australian A-League form:

W

W

D

W

L

W

Team News

Despite having blown a two-goal lead against Western United last time out, Talay may be prepared to stick with the majority of his Wellington starting lineup.

Ben Waine, the club's joint top goalscorer, will hope to earn a recall in attack, potentially in place of Kosta Barbarouses.

Barring any fitness issues, Rudan is unlikely to make any changes to a team which battled their way to victory last time out.

Ten of this squad are ever-presents thus far, Kusini Yengi's absence from the fifth fixture preventing six successive unchanged XIs.

Wellington Phoenix possible starting lineup:

Sail; Elliot, Wootton, Laws, Sutton; Old, Lewis, Ugarkovic, Kraev; Barbarouses, Zawada

Western Sydney Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Thomas; Cleur, Mrcela, Marcelo, Traore; Borrello, Nieuwenhof, Amalfitano, Yengi; Ninkovic, Krpic

We say: Wellington Phoenix 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

Had this fixture taken place before the World Cup, we would have been backing an away win in convincing fashion. Instead, the lack of match sharpness leads to us predicting a competitive draw, one which would suit Wellington more so than their opponents.

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