Wellington Phoenix continue their push towards the top two when they play host to a struggling Western United side to launch A-League Round 20 action on Friday.

Phoenix vs United kicks off at 5.15pm AEDT at Sky Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports in Australia.

Prediction

Match Preview

These two sides are heading in opposite directions on the ladder, with Phoenix targeting a top two finish and United desperate to reclaim a spot inside the top six.

After a slow start to the season in which they went winless in the first month, Wellington have been one of the form teams in the competition, putting together a club-record nine-game unbeaten run to surge into the top four.

With each passing week, Phoenix prove they are genuine title contenders, and after registering a 1-0 win over Melbourne City last week, the Kiwi club have the top two in their sights.

In fact, if they can bag all three points against United, Wellington will draw level on points with City, who have the bye this week.

Meanwhile, United are in a big slump and are showing no signs of getting out of it, failing to score a goal throughout February so far.

It was a promising start to the season for Mark Rudan and his side, but they’ve barely won matches in 2020 and have slipped into seventh spot and four points outside of the finals.

United lost a crucial clash 1-0 to Brisbane last week, allowing the Roar to create a clear gap from sixth to seventh.

Rudan’s charges need a win to get back on track, but an away clash with Wellington will prove a tough obstacle to overcome. Phoenix will most likely come out on top if the form lines of both sides continue.

Match Odds

Wellington Phoenix – $1.63
Western United – $5.10
Draw – $4.10

MORE MATCH ODDS FROM UNIBET

Stats

– Both of their previous meetings this season have been won by the away team
– United have won just one from their last five away games
– Besart Berisha has scored the most goals against Phoenix of any player (14)

Tips