Westies get chance to widen the gap

ALL EIGHT domestic football teams are in action at 2pm today.

League leaders Waitakere United visit Waikato in what should be a straightforward three points for the West Aucklanders.

Waikato have struggled over the holiday period, crashing to 4-1 and 4-0 defeats to Auckland City and Hawke’s Bay respectively, and now run into a side who have conceded only five league goals this season.

Waitakere’s minor premiership title rivals, Auckland City, also seem set for a regulation win when they host struggling Otago.

City have moved back into second on the table and trail Waitakere by five points with a game in hand and need to secure the points to stop their neighbours running away with the regular season.

Any points Otago collect would help them move out of a threeway tie at second-bottom of the table.

Third-placed Hawke’s Bay travel to Palmerston North to face bottom-of-the-league Manawatu, a side with only one win all season.

High-flying Hawke’s Bay continue to impress this season and head into the game off a 4-0 win over Waikato.

Manawatu, meanwhile, have the worst goal difference in the league at -16 after eight games.

Finally, Canterbury host Wellington in a match which sees fourth play fifth, but the table doesn’t tell the full story with a massive nine-point gulf between the two.

A win is important for Canterbury with all three teams above them odds-on to collect full points, while Wellington’s hopes of making the top four seem almost dead and buried already.