The Western Sydney Wanderers A-League team will be back in action on Sunday night when they travel to Wollongong to face Wellington Phoenix.
The Wanderers head into the match after some time to refresh and reset after their match scheduled for last Saturday night against Melbourne City was postponed.
The Red & Black will be looking to build on their most recent 2-0 win against Melbourne Victory last Wednesday which showed great signs of the team’s mentality and resilience.
Two late goals to Graham Dorrans and Kwame Yeboah helped the Wanderers break down a stubborn Victory side, extending Carl Robinson’s side unbeaten streak to six games.
Wellington, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 win against a ten-man Wellington Phoenix.
Matt Simon was the match-winner as the Central Coast Mariners opened up a four-point lead at the top of the A-League ladder.
Simon was involved in the decisive moments at WIN Stadium, as David Ball’s dangerous challenge on the 35-year-old frontman resulted in the English striker being shown a straight red card in the 27th minute, leaving the Kiwi club with a mountain to climb.
The Mariners’ all-time top scorer then netted his second of the season with clinical 40th-minute finish after Costa Rica World Cup star Marcos Ureña carved open the Phoenix defence with a precision through ball.
Ufuk Talay’s side continued to unravel after half-time when substitute centre-back Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi, on to replace the injured Josh Laws, dived in to foul Daniel De Silva in the 50th minute and Oliver Bozanic stepped up to score his first A-League goal in five years from the penalty spot.
Battling for for more than an hour with 10 players, Wellington were unable to come close to breaching Alen Stajcic’s well-drilled defence as the exiled New Zealand side fell to a third straight defeat in their temporary home at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
The Phoenix will no doubt be looking to turn the tide against the Wanderers in what is set to be another tough fixture for the Red & Black.
The match will also mark the fourth annual Sister Cities Shield fixture between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix.
The Sister Cities Shield recognises the Sister Cities relationship between Blacktown City in Western Sydney and Porirua, a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand.
The Wanderers will represent Blacktown City – their spiritual home, with the Phoenix representing Porirua.
Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers
Sunday 21 February 2021
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Kick-off: 6.10pm AEDT
