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NederlandWestern Sydney Wanderers will aim to extend their unbeaten run to seven games when they square off against Wellington Phoenix at WIN Stadium on Sunday night.
The hosts are second-bottom in the A-League table and have failed to taste victory in their last two games, dating back to their impressive 2-1 win against Central Coast Mariners.
Match preview
© Reuters
Wellington Phoenix have been on a poor run of form since relocating to New South Wales in October, picking up six points from a possible 33.
After an impressive third-placed finish last season, Ufuk Talay's men find themselves second-bottom in the league, with one draw and four losses in six games.
Their only win this season came away to league leaders Central Coast Mariners, where Jaushua Sotirio's 88th-minute strike helped steal a shock 2-1 victory.
A particular worry for the Wellington faithful is their home form, as they have failed to pick up a point at the WIN Stadium this season - a run of three straight losses.
They have also struggled to find their form in front of goal, scoring just six goals and besting only Melbourne Victory's five.
Their opponents Western Sydney Wanderers are having an impressive season so far, sitting in fourth place with 12 points from seven matches.
Carl Robinson's side are on the back of a six-game unbeaten run since a shock 1-0 defeat to new boys Macarthur on opening day.
The Wanderers secured a 2-0 win over struggling Melbourne Victory last time out, with new signing Graham Dorrans grabbing his second goal of the season.
The last nine meetings of this fixture show it is an evenly contested clash as both sides have secured four wins each.
The visitors stole a 1-0 win at the Bankwest Stadium in the last meeting, where Kwame Yeboah's 73rd-minute winner saw off a dogged 10-man Wellington.
Wellington Phoenix Australian A-League form: LDLWLL
Western Sydney Wanderers Australian A-League form: WDWDDW
Team News
The hosts have a relatively long absentee list coming into this clash, and they will be without a few key players.
Talay will be without the services of striker David Ball, who picked up a straight red for a cynical challenge in the clash with Central Coast Mariners.
The duo of Tomer Hemed and Jaushua Sotirio will also sit out this clash through a hamstring and knee injury, respectively.
Luke DeVere will undergo surgery and is expected to miss about 12 weeks of action after picking up a knee injury last time out.
However, Wellington will be boosted by the return of Cameron Devlin, who returns from a short-term injury.
The defensive duo of Tass Mourdoukoutas and Dylan McGowan remain absent for the Wanderers as they recover from their respective ankle injuries.
Vedran Janjetovic has not featured for the visitors this season, as he remains on the club's long-term list with a shoulder injury.
Wellington Phoenix possible starting lineup:
Marinovic; McGarry, Laws, DeVere, Payne; Lewis, Devlin, Rufer, Davila; Waine, Muratovic
Western Sydney Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Margush; McGowan, Aquilina, Gordon; Georgievski, Dorrans, Baccus, Russell; Troisi, Ibini-Isei, Cox
We say: Wellington Phoenix 0-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney are unbeaten in four matches on the road this season, and we expect this run to continue as they travel to take on a struggling Wellington side, who have lost all three home matches so far.
