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Wellington Phoenix will invite Melbourne City to the Go Media Stadium in the A-League on Saturday.
The hosts have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their league campaign, with two wins and draws apiece in four games. After two wins in a row, Melbourne Victory held them to a 1-1 draw last week, with Damien Da Silva's own goal helping them earn a point from the match.
The visitors have recovered well from back-to-back losses in their first two games of the season and are unbeaten in their last two. In their previous outing, Jamie Maclaren's brace and an injury-time penalty from Terry Antonis helped them hold Macarthur to a 3-3 draw.
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With just four points from as many league games, they are in ninth place in the league standings. The hosts, thanks to their unbeaten run, are in third place, trailing Western Sydney Wanderers only on goal difference.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have crossed paths 42 times in all competitions thus far. The visitors have the upper hand in the head-to-head record with 20 wins to their name. The hosts have got the better of the visitors 14 times and eight games have ended in draws.
- City are unbeaten in their last four meetings against the hosts, recording three wins in a row, including a 3-0 triumph in the Australia Cup round of 16 in August.
- The visitors have registered three wins on the trot in away games against the hosts, scoring 12 times while conceding just thrice.
- Wellington Phoenix have lost just one of their eight home games in the A-League.
- Melbourne City have the worst defensive record in the league this season, conceding 11 times in four games, with six of them coming in their only away game of the season at Adelaide United last month.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City Prediction
The Yellow Army have scored seven of their eight goals in two home games this season, and three of their four goals have also been conceded in home games. They are unbeaten in their last seven league meetings against the visitors, suffering five defeats. While they have scored nine times in that period, they have struggled defensively, conceding 21 goals.
City have just one win in their last seven away games in the A-League. Across all competitions, they have just one win in their last four games, conceding seven goals while finding the back of the net five times.
The visitors have a lengthy absentee list as Nuno Reis, Mathew Leckie, Andrew Nabbout, Arion Sulemani, James Nieuwenhuizen, and Zane Schreiber will not travel to Wellington on account of injuries.
With the teams playing for the first time since the international break, they might not be at full capacity just yet. Nonetheless, considering the home advantage for Phoenix and the visitors' struggles this season, we back the hosts to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Wellington Phoenix 2-1 Melbourne City
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Wellington Phoenix to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Jamie Maclaren to score or assist any time - Yes
