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Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix square off at AAMI Park in the first leg of the A-League playoff semi-finals on Saturday. Giancarlo Italiano’s Phoenix secured a 1-0 victory in their last encounter against Victory on April 12 and will head into the weekend looking to get the upper hand in this tie.
Melbourne Victory, meanwhile, came out on top in a heated derby clash as they beat rivals Melbourne City on penalties in the A-League Elimination Final after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.
While that result has seen Anthony Popovic’s men book their spot in the playoff semi-finals, they have now failed to win their last four games in normal time, losing twice and claiming two draws since mid-April.
Melbourne Victory enjoyed a solid regular season campaign, finishing third in the league table with 42 points from 27 matches.
Wellington Phoenix, on the other hand, wrapped up the regular season on a high as they thrashed Macarthur 3-0 on home turf on April 27.
This capped off an impressive campaign for Italiano’s men, who finished second in the table, just two points behind first-placed Central Coast Mariners.
While Wellington will be looking to place one foot in the final, they have failed to win in their last 11 visits to AAMI Park, losing six and claiming five draws since a 3-0 victory in April 2017.
Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix Head-To-Head
With 25 wins from the last 52 meetings between the sides, Melbourne Victory boasts a superior record in the history of this fixture.
Wellington Phoenix have picked up 13 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 14 occasions.
Melbourne Victory Form Guide: W-L-D-L-W
Wellington Phoenix Form Guide: W-D-W-L-W
Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix Team News
The hosts head into the game with a clean bill of health. Zinedine Machach is currently suspended.
Melbourne Victory
Injured: None
Suspended: Zinedine Machach
Wellington Phoenix
Barring any late fitness issues, Wellington head into the weekend with no injuries or suspension concerns.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix Predicted XI
Melbourne Victory Predicted XI (4-3-3): Paul Izzo; Jason Geria, Damien Da Silva, Roderick Miranda, Adama Traore; Ryan Teague, Leigh Broxham, Jake Brimmer; Daniel Arzani, Ben Folami, Bruno Fornaroli
Wellington Phoenix Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Alex Paulsen; Tim Payne, Finn Surman, Scott Wootton, Sam Sutton; Nicholas Pennington, Alex Rufer; Benjamin Old, Bozhidar Kraev, David Ball; Kosta Barbarouses
Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction
Given their recent record at AAMI Park, Wellington Phoenix will have to show their mettle this weekend as they look to continue their fine run of results. We predict both sides will cancel out each other’s efforts, leaving all to play for in the return leg.
Prediction: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Wellington Phoenix
