Phoenix have playoff destiny in their own hands
There is only one more spot up for grabs in the A-League Men finals series and Wellington Phoenix have a chance to secure it tonight.
They meet former coach Mark Rudan’s Western Sydney Wanderers at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta knowing a win will guarantee their place in the top six alongside Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, Western United, Adelaide United and Central
Coast Mariners.
The Mariners beat Brisbane Roar on Tuesday to cement their place in the playoffs for the second year in a row, leaving the Phoenix in a two-way race with five-time champions Sydney
FC for the last remaining spot.
The Phoenix’s form has been erratic since they lost midfielders Alex Rufer and Clayton Lewis to injury, as well as a few other players, but a finals berth is theirs to lose after falling one point short last season.
They hold a five-point advantage over eighth-place Sydney heading into the final two rounds meaning two points would put them out of sight, while the Sky Blues cannot afford a slip-up.
‘‘It’s in our hands at the moment,’’ Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay said.
The Phoenix beat the Wanderers 1-0 in Auckland only 10 days ago, but were lucky to walk away with all three points. The Wanderers had a chance to level when they were awarded a penalty but Steven Ugarkovic slipped over in the wet and scuffed his attempt.
Although Wanderers have little to play for, sitting 10 points back in 10th place, Talay said the Phoenix will not be taking them lightly given what is at stake.
‘‘They’re a very good side with very good players and I’m sure they’re going to play the game to win regardless of where they sit on the table.
‘‘It was a tough game in Auckland. We got the result we needed but it’s going to be a familiar game where it’s pretty tight and we need to do a job.’’
David Ball is expected to slot back into the starting XI after he was rested for their loss to Melbourne Victory, with Ben Old likely to drop to the bench, but Rufer, Lewis, Callan Elliot, Jaushua Sotirio, and Josh Laws all remain unavailable due to injury.
‘‘It’s probably easier to name the players that are playing,’’ Talay said.
Ball sat out the Victory game after playing the previous four matches with a torn ligament in his toe.
As he has done previously, he will need to take a jab to relieve the pain in order to lace up his boots.
‘‘He’s still going to need the jab before the game to play the game but he’ll be available to start,’’ Talay said. ‘‘You have to look at the risk and the reward, and the reward is very high.’’