Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers prediction, preview, team news and more

The A-League returns to the fold with another set of fixtures this week as Western Sydney Wanderers take on Wellington Phoenix on Friday. Both teams have made robust starts to their campaigns and will want to win this game.

Wellington Phoenix are in third place in the A-League standings and have been impressive so far this season. The New Zealand-based outfit edged Central Coast Mariners to a 2-1 victory last week and will be confident ahead of this fixture.

Western Sydney Wanderers, on the other hand, are in eighth place in the league table at the moment and are yet to hit their stride this season. The Wanderers played out a 2-2 draw against Newcastle Jets in their previous game and have a point to prove this week.

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers Head-to-Head

Western Sydney Wanderers have a slight edge over Wellington Phoenix and have won 12 out of 28 matches played between the two teams. Wellington Phoenix have managed 10 victories against the Wanderers and will want to cut the deficit this week.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in May this year and ended in a 2-1 victory for Wellington Phoenix. Western Sydney Wanderers were not at their best on the day and will need to step up in this fixture.

Wellington Phoenix form guide in the A-League: W-D

Western Sydney Wanderers form guide in the A-League: D-D

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers Team News

Wellington Phoenix

Sam Sutton is injured at the moment and has been ruled out of this fixture. Louis Fenton has made progress with his recovery and will be included in the squad against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Injured: Sam Sutton

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Western Sydney Wanderers

Vedran Janjetovic is currently recovering from a long-term injury and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Keanu Baccus is also struggling with his fitness and will be sidelined this week.

Injured: Vedran Janjetovic, Keanu Baccus

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers Predicted XI

Wellington Phoenix Predicted XI (4-4-2): Oliver Sail; James McGarry, Joshua Laws, Tim Payne, Callan Elliot; Alex Rufer, Clayton Lewis, Reno Piscopo, David Ball; Jaushua Sotirio, Gary Hooper

Western Sydney Wanderers Predicted XI (4-3-3): Tomas Mejias; Rhys Williams, John Koutroumbis, Thomas Aquilina, Adama Traore; Steven Ugarkovic, Terry Antonis, Ramy Najjarine; Bernie Ibini-Isei, Dimitri Petratos, Tomer Hemed

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction

Wellington Phoenix have made a strong start to their A-League campaign and will be confident going into this game. The hosts have an improved squad this season and will be intent on making their mark in the competition.

Western Sydney Wanderers, on the other hand, are yet to pick up their first victory and will look to prove their mettle this week. Both teams are on an even footing at the moment and could play out a draw on Friday.

Prediction: Wellington Phoenix 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

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Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers prediction, preview, team news and more | A-League 2021-22