Preview: Wellington Phoenix vs. Western United - prediction, team news, lineups

Wellington Phoenix and Western United will be desperate to end their respective winless runs when they lock horns at the Sky Stadium on Saturday.

Separated only by goal difference, both sides currently sit three points outside the top half of the A-League table and will now be eyeing a late push for the playoff places.

Match preview

Wellington Phoenix picked up a third straight draw last Sunday when they travelled to the AAMI Park to face league leaders Melbourne City.

Veteran striker Tomer Hemed put in a performance of the highest quality as he grabbed his sixth and seventh goals of the season to force a share of the spoils against the rampant hosts.

While Ufuk Talay's side have failed to win in their last three games, they have avoided defeat in their last seven, dating back to a 3-2 loss to Melbourne City on April 4.

After a shaky start to the campaign, this upturn in form has helped the Phoenix climb from the bottom of the table into ninth place, level on points with Western United.

With three wins and one draw from their last four encounters with Saturday's visitors, Wellington Phoenix head into this tie as the superior side in this fixture and will feel confident of grabbing the desired result to keep their slim chances of a top-half finish alive.

Western United, on the other hand, failed to find their feet last time out as they fell to another defeat when they visited the Leichhardt Oval to take on second-placed Sydney FC.

In an utterly one-sided affair, Adam Le Fondre's 76th-minute goal was all that separated both sides as Steve Corica's men claimed a narrow 1-0 win.

The result condemned Mark Rudan's side to a fourth straight loss and their 10th of the season, and this has seen them drop to 10th place in the league standings.

Their poor form has been down to their struggles at both ends of the pitch in recent weeks, as they have scored just one goal and conceded 11 in their last five outings.

Team News

Talay will have to cope without the services of club captain Ulises Davila, who sustained an injury in the game against Adelaide United two Fridays ago.

Luke DeVere will also sit out the game as he is nursing a knee problem he picked up in February's clash with Central Coast Mariners.

On the other hand, 19-year-old defender Dalibor Markovic remains unavailable for Western United through a calf problem.

Joshua Risdon will push for a return to the fold having recovered from a foot injury sustained in the 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets back in April.

Thirty-nine-year-old veteran Andrew Durante, who holds the record for most appearances in the A-League, has announced he will retire at the end of the season after making over 400 appearances in the Australian top-flight.
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Wellington Phoenix possible starting lineup:
Sail; McGarry, Taylor, Payne, Sutton; Delvin, Rufer, Lewis, Ball; Waine, Hemed

Western United possible starting lineup:
Scott; Imai, Durante, Uskok; Pierias, Duzel, Sanchez, Vujica; Wales, Berisha, Diamanti

We say: Wellington Phoenix 2-1 Western United

While both sides have struggled for most of the season, Wellington Phoenix appear to have found their feet in recent weeks.

Given the stakes of the game, we predict a close contest but fancy the hosts continuing their dominance over Western United and claiming all three points.