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Adelaide United will welcome Wellington Phoenix to the Hindmarsh Stadium in the A-League final series on Friday.
This will be the first of the two games to be played in the Elimination Finals between teams that finished third, fourth, fifth, and sixth in the A-League regular season standings.
The hosts finished third in the league table with 42 points while the visitors secured sixth place in the table with 35 points. Both teams made it to the final series last season, with the hosts facing elimination against Melbourne City in the semi-finals while Wellington failed to make it past the Elimination Finals.
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Adelaide saw a drop in form in recent games and finished their regular season campaign on a four-game winless run. In their final match of the campaign, they suffered a 4-1 defeat against the Central Coast Mariners, giving up second spot in the league standings.
The visitors signed off on their regular season campaign with a 1-0 win over Macarthur FC, with top-scorer Oskar Zawada scoring the winning goal in the 11th minute.
Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have squared off 43 times since 2008, with all meetings coming in the A-League. The hosts have been the better side in these meetings and have 19 wins. The visitors have 11 wins to their name and 13 games have ended in draws.
- Adelaide recorded a 5-1 win when the two sides met at Friday's venue in March.
- Adelaide United are undefeated in nine of their last 10 home matches against Wellington Phoenix in all competitions.
- The hosts have outscored the visitors 9-1 in their last three home meetings.
Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction
The hosts suffered two defeats in their last three league games and conceded four goals apiece in their last two games. After suffering just one defeat at home between October and April, they have suffered two defeats in a row at Friday's venue.
The visitors recorded their first win in six games in their last game of the regular season and will be looking to continue that momentum in this match. Nonetheless, they have just one win in their last six meetings against the hosts and might struggle here.
Wellington have not made it to the semi-finals since the 2011-12 campaign and have a poor away record against the hosts. With that in mind, we expect Adelaide to record a narrow win.
Prediction: Adelaide United 2-1 Wellington Phoenix
Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Adelaide
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Craig Goodwin to score or assist any time - Yes
