Sydney vs Wellington Phoenix: can Sydney move into first place in the table?
Sydney FC
Wellington Phoenix
In the clash of Matchday 13 of the Australian A-League, we will witness a meeting between Sydney and Wellington Phoenix. The match will take place on Sunday, 18 January, kicking off at 7:00 CET, and I am proposing a betting option for this fixture.
Sydney vs Wellington Phoenix: match facts and head-to-head
- Sydney have lost one of their last five matches.
- At home, Sydney have won their last three matches.
- Out of their last four matches, Wellington Phoenix have lost once.
- Wellington Phoenix have scored at least one goal in seven consecutive matches.
- Wellington Phoenix have won only one of their six away matches.
- Sydney have the third-best attacking record in the A-League with 18 goals.
- Sydney currently boast the best defence in the league, having conceded just seven goals.
- Sydney have kept a clean sheet in 45% of their matches this season, while Wellington Phoenix have managed this in only 8%.
- Wellington Phoenix have the second-best goals tally in the A-League with 19 goals.
- Sydney and Wellington Phoenix drew 1:1 in their most recent head-to-head meeting.
Sydney vs Wellington Phoenix: match preview
Sydney are currently among the leaders in the A-League standings. They sit second in the table with 22 points from 11 matches, trailing the leaders by just two points. Sydney also have two games in hand, meaning that with victories they could not only overtake the top spot but also open up a small points gap. In their previous outing, they thrashed Macarthur 3:0. The table is extremely tight at the moment, with only one point separating them from third place. However, Sydney have three matches in hand here and currently have played the fewest games.
Wellington Phoenix are positioned in the lower half of the table and have 15 points after 12 matches. The New Zealand side occupy tenth place in the standings. They are three points adrift of the play-off zone, so they will be fighting for a top-six finish. As mentioned, the table is very congested, making every point extremely valuable. In their previous match, they played out a 2:2 draw, and before that they recorded a convincing 3:0 win over Brisbane Roar. However, their results remain inconsistent, which explains their tenth-place position.
Probable line-ups
- Sydney: Devenish-Meares, Grant, Tisserand, Garuccio, Grant, Quispe, Youlley, Okon-Engstler, Víctor Campuzano, Quintal, Wood
- Wellington Phoenix: McCarron, Payne, Sheridan, Kelly-Heald, Hughes, Piper, James, Rufer, Nagasawa, Najjarine, Eze
Prediction
Sydney have been delivering solid performances this season and are clearly more consistent than their opponents. Sitting second in the table, I believe they have what it takes to secure a victory in this match.
