Rising Phoenix face cellar-dweller threat

RETURNING PHOENIX striker Stein Huysegems has placed importance on today exposing a Sydney FC side ‘‘falling behind’’.

This afternoon’s match at Westpac Stadium sees Sydney arrive with the simple goal of getting off the foot of the A- League table, while the Phoenix eye a place in the top four.

Huysegems, who has made a good impression since arriving this season, and is back in the starting lineup after injury, says Sydney’s struggles – despite signing Italian World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero who is now out injured – reflect a finely balanced competition.

‘‘If you go for a couple of games without winning, you start falling behind, and that’s exactly the situation Sydney find themselves in right now,’’ Huysegems told the Sunday Star-Times.

‘‘ I didn’t really know much about the league before I came here; in Europe you don’t hear very much about the A-League. I knew very little.

‘‘But the standard is good, and any team can win on their day. It’s a level and physical league.

‘‘This next game is really important for us to get a win, and maybe get up to fourth place in the league.

‘‘ From the last three games we’ve won seven points, so another three this weekend would make a good run.

‘‘In my opinion there’s not one team which is the favourite to win the championship, there are quite a lot of teams capable of doing it.’’

After scoring on debut – against Sydney in a 2-0 opening round win – Huysegems has continued to impress, but has played less than 10 minutes of the last two games due to injury.

The injury- enforced layoff has been a frustrating interruption to