Spoilt for choice: Sizing up Nix semifinal options
Striker Kosta Barbarouses doesn’t care who Wellington Phoenix get in the A-League Men semifinals.
He is confident the Phoenix can beat any of Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC or Macarthur across two legs. “I’ll take anyone, I don’t care,” he said after the Phoenix’s final regular-season match.
But there is one team the Phoenix would surely much rather play than the other two, even if they won’t publicly admit it.
Here is a low-down on the three opponents the Phoenix could face in the home-and-away semifinals.
Melbourne Victory
Regular-season finish: Third Honours: A-League premiership 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15, A-League championship 2007, 2009, 2015, 2018
Elimination final opponent: Victory square off against Melbourne Derby rivals Melbourne City at AAMI Park at 7pm on Sunday.
Likelihood they play the Nix: High. If Victory beat City they will play the Phoenix in the semifinals regardless of what happens in the other elimination final.
Head-to-head: Victory 1-1 Phoenix, Phoenix 1-1 Victory, Phoenix 1-0 Victory
The low-down: There’s a big reason why the Phoenix will not want to face Victory in a home-and-away semifinal. They have not won any of their last 20 matches at AAMI Park, a venue Victory share with rivals Melbourne City. If the Phoenix lose the first leg they could be left with too much ground to make up.
Sydney FC
Regular-season finish: Fourth Honours: A-League premiership 2009–10, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, A-League championship 2006, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2020, Australia Cup 2017, 2023 Next game: Sydney FC host Macarthur in an elimination final at Allianz Stadium at 9.45pm tomorrow.
Head-to-head: Sydney FC 3-1 Phoenix, Phoenix 2-1 Sydney FC
Likelihood they play the Nix: Medium. Sydney FC will play the Phoenix if they beat Macarthur and Melbourne City upset
Victory in the other elimination final. If there were to be one upset, it is most likely to occur in the other match as City have found their form, winning each of their past three matches while Victory are winless in three.
The low-down: A semifinal against Sydney FC would pit Giancarlo Italiano against former Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay. The two teams played each other just twice during the regular season and they split the results. Sydney arrive into the finals high on confidence after battering Perth Glory 7-1 last weekend.
Macarthur
Placing: Fifth Honours: Australia Cup 2023 Head-to-head: Macarthur 0-3 Phoenix, Macarthur 1-2 Phoenix, Phoenix 3-0 Macarthur
Next game: Macarthur travel up the road to Sydney to play Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium at 9.45pm tomorrow night.
Likelihood they play the Nix: Low. The only way the Phoenix will meet Macarthur is if both of the higher-ranked teams, Victory and Sydney FC, lose in the elimination finals.
The low-down: If the Phoenix could pick their opponents they would play Macarthur. They have had Macarthur’s number this season, beating them every time they played, including two comfortable 3-0 victories. Barbarouses has had a field day on every occasion too, scoring five goals across the three fixtures. Macarthur’s team is full of former Phoenix players, including Ulises Davila, Clayton Lewis and Filip Kurto, but the inside knowledge hasn’t helped. The Phoenix would back themselves to win in Campbelltown and return with the advantage.