Auckland vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction

Form over the past year

Wellington Phoenix have won nine, drawn four and lost seven of their last 20 matches, scoring 30 goals and shipping 35. That's a team that can score but also leaks goals at the other end.

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1

Auckland to win

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Draw

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Odds3.6

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2

Wellington Phoenix to win

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Odds3.7

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Potential returns include your stake. Odds may change.

Auckland: 20 completed matches; Wellington Phoenix: 20 completed matches.

Auckland

20 matches

Win

30% 6 / 20

Draw

40% 8 / 20

Loss

30% 6 / 20

Scored

32

Conceded

27

Difference

+5

Wellington Phoenix

20 matches

Win

45% 9 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

30

Conceded

35

Difference

-5

Auckland's record over a similar sample reads seven wins, seven draws and six losses, with 32 scored and 26 conceded. Several of those fixtures came outside the regular A-League programme, including games in the Intercontinental Cup and a friendly against Tottenham, so it's a mixed sample rather than a pure league one.

Comparative Team Statistics: Auckland vs Wellington Phoenix

Head-to-head

Every one of the six meetings we have on record has gone Auckland's way, home or away. Some of those wins have been landslides, including a 6-1 and a 5-0, while others were tighter 2-1 type scorelines.

That run is worth keeping in mind, even though neither side's current form points to such a one-sided gap.

Early season picture

This A-League season has only just kicked off, and the table reflects that. Auckland sit top after one match, with Wellington Phoenix right behind in second, both on three points from a win. It's far too early to read much into position alone.

Players to watch

Auckland's goals have mostly come from Cosgrove, who scored 12 in 28 matches, with Randall and Brook chipping in nine each. Randall is also their main creator with eight assists, and de Vries isn't far behind on seven.

Auckland:

Best scorers:

S. Cosgrove - 12

J. Randall - 9

L. Brook - 9

Best assist providers:

J. Randall - 8

F. de Vries - 7

S. Cosgrove - 4

Penalty cards:

D. Hall x 1 x 3

L. Rogerson x 1 x 1

S. Cosgrove x 7

Injury list:

M. Francois

L. F. Gallegos

O. Sail

Wellington Phoenix:

Best scorers:

I. Eze - 9

Best assist providers:

T. Payne - 5

C. Piper - 4

K. Nagasawa - 4

Penalty cards:

C. Armiento x 1 x 3

M. James x 1 x 1

A. Rufer x 8

Wellington's biggest threat in front of goal has been I. Eze, with nine goals in 25 matches, while Payne has provided five assists in just 14 games. Auckland do have three players listed as missing for this fixture: Francois, Gallegos and Sail, the latter dealing with a knee injury.

Losing three squad options, even without knowing their regular roles, is something to watch before kickoff.

How the goals might flow

Both sides have scored at a steady clip across their longer form samples, and the head-to-head history leans heavily towards goal-filled games. Five of the last six meetings between these two finished with three or more goals in total, including a couple of real landslides.

With Auckland's attack ticking over domestically and Wellington Phoenix never shy going forward, there's a reasonable case for this one being open again.