Saturday’s first A-League Round 26 match is between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 5.30pm with the game to be played at Westpac Stadium. The away team Melbourne Victory are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory.

Round: Round 27, Saturday, 12 April 2014, 5.30pm
Stadium: Westpac Stadium
Head to head: Played: 22, Wins: Phoenix 4, Victory 12, Draws: 6
Previous encounter: Phoenix 5-0 Victory, January 18 2014

Wellington Phoenix $2.90 vs Melbourne Victory $2.30 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Wellington Phoenix $2.85 vs Melbourne Victory $2.30 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Wellington Phoenix	2.90	3.10	2.85	3.10	2.90	2.88
Draw	3.60	3.50	3.45	3.50	3.60	3.40
Melbourne Victory	2.30	2.20	2.30	2.20	2.30	2.25

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Teams:

Wellington Phoenix squad:
1.Glen MOSS (gk), 2.Manny MUSCAT, 4.Luke ADAMS, 5.Michael BOXALL, 9.Kenny Cunningham, 10.Stein HUYSEGEMS, 11.Jeremy BROCKIE, 12.Tyler BOYD, 14.Alex RUFER, 15.Jason HICKS, 17.Vince LIA, 19.Hamish WATSON, 21.Carlos HERNANDEZ, 22.Andrew DURANTE (c), 23.Matthew RIDENTON, 24.Roy KRISHNA, 25.Shaun TIMMINS, 30 Jacob SPOONLEY (gk)
**Two to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Manny MUSCAT (returns from suspension), 14.Alex RUFER (promoted)
Outs: 18.Ben SIGMUND (quad injury)
Unavailable: 3.Reece CAIRA (fractured cheekbone 6-8 weeks), 6.Josh BRINDELL-SOUTH (ankle injury 4-6 weeks), 7.Leo BERTOS (groin injury 2 to 3 weeks), 8.Paul IFILL (ruptured Achilles, season), 13.Albert RIERA (groin injury, season), 16.Louis FENTON (shoulder injury, season), 18.Ben SIGMUND (quad injury 2-3 weeks), 20.Lewis ITALIANO (thumb injury 4-5 weeks).

Melbourne Victory squad:
1.Nathan COE (GK), 3.Adama TRAORE, 4.Nick ANSELL, 5.Mark MILLIGAN (C), 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Gui FINKLER, 9.Kosta BARBAROUSES, 10.Archie THOMPSON, 11.Connor PAIN, 13.Andrew NABBOUT, 14.James TROISI, 16.Rashid MAHAZI, 17.James JEGGO, 20.Lawrence THOMAS (GK), 22.Jesse MAKAROUNAS, 23.Adrian LEIJER, 24.Scott GALLOWAY, 25.Jason GERIA
**Two to be omitted**
Ins: 4.Nick ANSELL (returns from injury), 11. Connor PAIN (promoted), 22. Jesse MAKAROUNAS (promoted).
Outs: 21. Tom ROGIC (groin – 1-2 weeks)
Unavailable: 2. Pablo CONTRERAS (hamstring – 1 week)

Preview:

Form:
Past five matches (in all competitions):
Phoenix: LLLDD
Victory: DLDLW

The Game:

Melbourne Victory go into the final round of the season fifth on the table, level on points with Adelaide United in fourth and one point back from Western Sydney and Central Coast, who are second and third respectively. Kevin Muscat’s team have a goal difference of negative four, one better than the Mariners’ negative five but significantly worse than the Wanderers’ plus four and Adelaide’s plus 11.

With that in mind, only a win is likely to suffice for Victory if they are to claim second. Even if Adelaide, the Mariners and the Wanderers all lose and Victory draw, it would take a 9-0 Melbourne Heart win over Western Sydney for the navy blue and whites to move ahead of Tony Popovic’s men on the standings.

Adelaide, with a goal difference 15 better than Victory, can also end their arch-rivals’ top-two hopes with a win away to the Newcastle Jets in the first match of the round on Friday night.

Regardless of the scenario they are faced with, Victory must still seek maximum reward to try and finish as high as possible and secure a home final. Fortunately, picking up three points against the New Zealand outfit has become something of a habit for them in recent years. Before a surprise 5-0 triumph for the Kiwis at the Cake Tin in January, Victory had recorded seven successive wins over the Phoenix, including two in Wellington.

The hosts this week have nothing left to play for and are still burdened by the lengthy injury list that saw their 2013-14 campaign fizzle out. But with former Victory boss Ernie Merrick and ex-crowd favourite Carlos Hernandez surely determined to get one over their old club, don’t mark this down as a certain away win.

The big issue:

Phoenix – Lack of motivation must surely be a factor for the Phoenix. They will claim they want to sign off on a frustrating campaign with a win, but after battling through the last month or two with an increasingly threadbare squad, just how much determination will the players in yellow and black be able to muster on Saturday?

Victory – Muscat’s team looked worryingly short of energy in a 2-2 draw away to the Jets last weekend, despite having rested several key players for the mid-week AFC Champions League away game three days prior. Having had a full week to treat any niggles and prepare his squad, the Victory boss will expect to see far more energy and desire, particularly given his stern statement last week that tiredness is no excuse for poor performances.

The game breaker: Mark Milligan

Although they are the away team, the onus will be on Victory to take the game to their hosts in a match they have to win. As he did at home to Sydney FC in Round 25, skipper Mark Milligan led by example against the Jets, running himself into the ground in a bid to spark his sluggish team-mates into life. The Socceroo netted both of Victory’s goals at Hunter Stadium, the first a headed equaliser and the second from the penalty spot to level the scores again and salvage a potentially vital point.

Expect a tough battle between Milligan on one side and the likes of converted forward Kenny Cunningham and tough nut Vince Lia on the other. The winner of that midfield duel will be in position to dominate possession and offer his team a chance to win the game.