The Easter Sunday match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory might as well be a premiers plate battle.
They are the best in the League currently, and seeing as this will be the last time the two meet before the Premiers Plate gets decided, it’s probably the only chance we’ll see any of them drop points.
One point differentiates the two, and more is at stake for Melbourne Victory than the Phoenix.
Victory sailed through another win last week, this time against Central Coast Mariners (2-1) but it didn’t make coach Kevin Muscat very happy.
“It took us an eternity to get settled,” he admits.
“We created a numerical advantage in the middle of the park almost every time we had the ball yet we weren’t composed enough to retain possession.”
Muscat admits that Victory have been winning without playing well, and knows that the team has to work on a multitude of problems to have a competitive advantage over Phoenix.
“To win consistently, you need to perform well,” he says.
“We can perform better than we did and we will do.”
Wellington paid the price for being without Nathan Burns last week, conceding 0-3 to Sydney FC all in the first half.
It was left with 10 men after the half time return which made it almost impossible to bounce back.
While being a goal machine for the Phoenix, Burns has also been integral in creating opportunities for Roy Krishna and Michael McGlinchey.
Burns will be on hand this week at least after returning from Socceroos duty and will be a vital player if the Phoenix expects to bounce back.