Preview: Wellington Phoenix vs. Brisbane Roar - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh off a 4-3 defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers, Wellington Phoenix will aim to return to winning ways when they take on Brisbane Roar at the Sky Stadium on Sunday.

The visitors have failed to taste victory since their 5-2 win over Melbourne Victory on February 6, and they will be looking to end this poor run.

Match preview

Wellington Phoenix moved up into 10th place in the A-League table thanks to a decent run of results over the last three weeks.

After picking up just one point from their first four games in February, David Ball and Ben Waine scored in either half to give the Nix a 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets and their second win of the year.

This was immediately followed by a comfortable 3-0 win over Perth Glory, as Ufuk Talay's men grabbed successive wins and clean sheets for the first time this season.

However, their fine run was brought to an end at the Bankwest Stadium where they lost 4-3 to Western Sydney Wanderers on Monday.

In a nail-biting contest, Australian-born striker Kwame Yeboah grabbed the decisive goal for the hosts before Tomer Hemed's 95th-minute equaliser was ruled out for offside.

On the other hand, Brisbane Roar come into this tie following a narrow loss to Western United away from home.

One goal proved to be enough as Dylan Pierias's 72nd-minute strike condemned Warren Moon's men to a second defeat in three games.

This was the latest of their failed attempts to end their winless run which has now extended to six games.

Their recent slump could be attributed to their struggles in attack, as they have failed to find the back of the net in four of their last six games.

Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar now square off for the first time this season, with their most recent clash ending in a draw in August 2020.

In that encounter, Wellington forward Gary Hooper scored in the 81st minute to cancel out Scott McDonald's opener and hand the hosts a 1-1 draw.

Team News

Both teams have a relatively clean bill of health, and we expect each head coach to field his strongest side on Sunday.

Centre-back Luke DeVere is the only guaranteed absentee for the hosts, after sustaining a season-ending knee injury.

The Roars will be without veteran striker Scott McDonald, who is out with a hamstring injury.

Tomer Hemed opened his account for the Roars last time out and the former Charlton Athletic man could be rewarded with a place in the starting XI.

Wellington Phoenix possible starting lineup:
Sail; Fenton, Payne, McGing, McGarry; Davila, Rufer, Lewis, Piscopo; Hamed, Waine

Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:
Young; Trewin, Aldred, Gillesphey; Hingert, Akbari, O'Shea, Brown; Danzaki, Mebrahtu, Wenzel-Halls

We say: Wellington Phoenix 1-2 Brisbane Roar

While the hosts have been decent in recent weeks, they have struggled for results at home, picking up four points from a possible 15. We predict Brisbane Roar capitalise on the Nix's poor home record and end their winless run on Sunday with a win.