At a glance

Wellington Phoenix squad, A-League season 2020-21:

Coach: Ufuk Talay.

Captain: Ulises Davila.

Forwards: BenWaine, David Ball, Jaushua Sotirio, Mirza Muratovic, Tomer Hemed, Ulises Davila. Midfielders: Alex Rufer, Cameron Devlin, Clayton Lewis, Matthew Ridenton, Reno Piscopo, Sam Sutton. Defenders: James McGarry, Joshua Laws, Liam McGing, Louis Fenton, Luke DeVere, Te Atawhai HudsonWihongi, Tim Payne. Goalkeepers: Oli Sail, Stefan Marinovic.

Ins: Clayton Lewis (Auckland City), James McGarry (Willem II), Joshua Laws (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Matthew Ridenton (Brisbane Roar), Mirza Muratovic (Brisbane Roar), Tomer Hemed (Charlton Athletic).

Outs: BrandonWilson (Perth Glory), Callan Elliot (Xanthi FC), Callum McCowatt (Helsingor), Gary Hooper (Kerala Blasters), Liberato Cacace (Sint-Truiden), Matti Steinmann (East Bengal), Steven Taylor (Odisha), Walter Scott (Macarthur).

Key player: Deadly from the penalty spot, Ulises Davila scored a team-high 12 goals last season and when he was on, so were the Phoenix. The Mexican maestro has been handed the captaincy duties in the wake of Steven Taylor’s departure and could form a strong combination with new striker Tomer Hemed.

One to watch: Australian under-23 international Joshua Laws comes with big raps from coach Ufuk Talay ahead of his first season in the A-League and will likely start at centre-back alongside Luke DeVere. Like Cameron Devlin and Reno Piscopo, he will be determined to stake a claim for Olyroos selection ahead of Tokyo 2021.

Predicted starting XI: Stefan Marinovic, Tim Payne, Luke Devere, Joshua Laws, James McGarry, Alex Rufer, Cameron Devlin, Reno Piscopo, Ulises Davila, David Ball, Tomer Hemed.