Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle JetsSydney FC v Melbourne Victory Glory
Sunday, March 7
Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets
Verdict: Wellington will hope their players who returned early yesterday morning from international duty will have no ill effects today. 5 New Zealand internationals were involved in the 2-0 loss against Mexico in Los Angeles. In contrast, Newcastle Jets have had two weeks of uninterrupted preparation for this game, following their penalty shootout win at Gold Coast after a 0-0 draw. Wellington also reached this stage of the playoffs through penalties, after their 1-1 draw against Perth.
Wellington have the best defensive home record in the league at the Westpac Stadium, conceding only 7 goals in the regular season. Newcastle would rather be on home soil as their away record of 3-4-7 and only 13 goals scored doesn't inspire confidence. The visitors have been held scoreless on their travels in 5 of their last 9 encounters. Newcastle must feel they have a chance though as key Wellington players in Bertos and Brown will surely feel the effects of their midweek exploits. With out these players firing on all cylinders, I feel Wellington will be starved of creativity through midfield. The Newcastle camp has indicated that they will try and keep it very tight for the first half hour to silence the expected large crowd. Wellington score the majority of their goals in the second half but I think the travel factor added to the importance of this game will dent their usual explosiveness.
Pick: Under 2.5 goals @1.72 (sportsalive, 10 units)
Wellington 1 - 1 Newcastle Jets
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