Sydney FC goalkeeper Ivan Necevski says his side will do whatever it takes to snare the crucial three points on offer when the Sky Blues take on the Wellington Phoenix at the Sydney Football Stadium on Wednesday night (7pm kick-off).
Sydney FC goalkeeper Ivan Necevski says his side will do whatever it takes to snare the crucial three points on offer when the Sky Blues take on the Wellington Phoenix at the Sydney Football Stadium on Wednesday night (7pm kick-off).
The Sky Blues have registered three wins, two draws and a loss over the past month of Hyundai A-League competition and have narrowed the gap to the top six to four points with 14 games remaining in the campaign.
Necevski, who has kept four clean sheets in his six games since coming into the team, says the Sky Blues will be mentally and physically prepared despite a quick turnaround between the fixture and last Saturday-s game against the Heart in Melbourne.
“We-ve got to run, scrap, fight and make sure those three points are ours after the ninety minutes because they are going to come here fired up,” Necevski said.
“They are coming off a point against the Victory so they will be hungry. Us coming off a short turnaround shouldn-t be a problem so we will be ready come Wednesday night.
“We have recovered well so we will be fresh.”
The sides meet in round six this year with a Nick Ward screamer earning the Phoenix a 2-1 win at Westpac Stadium but a victory here is pivotal for the Sky Blues as they would get within one point of their cross Tasman rivals and having played a game less.
Sydney FC welcomes back 21-year-old Scott Jamieson (flu), who will most likely slot into the left back position following the one game suspension of Sung-Hwan Byun (red card), and central defender Stephan Keller (concussion).
The Sky Blues hold a 4-2 head-to-head advantage over Wellington in games played at the SFS but boast a side full of New Zealand internationals as well as one of the games leading strikers in Paul Ifill.
“Every team in the A-League is competitive and there are no easy games,” inform midfielder Hiro Moriyasu said.
“Wellington has Paul Ifill who is a very strong player and a threat to us so we will have to watch him but if we stick together and continue to play together we can get the points.”
Wednesday night-s clash will be Wellington-s fourth match in just the last 11 days.
Sydney FC vs. Wellington Phoenix
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Local kick-off: 7:00pm
Referee: Gerard Parsons
Assistant referees: Daniel Dewhurst and Scott Edeling
Fourth official: Kurt Ams
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 2, FS2 HD & Sky Sports 2 (NZ). Hyundai A-League club broadcast partner is SBS 6 (Digital) and The Radio Network (Wellington) 1035AM. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
Sydney FC: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 2. Sebastian RYALL, 3. Stephan KELLER, 5. Hayden FOXE, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU, 7. Brendan GAN, 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 11. Kofi DANNING, 12. Shannon COLE, 14. Alex BROSQUE, 15. Terry MCFLYNN (c), 16. Terry ANTONIS, 19. Mark BRIDGE, 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 21. Scott JAMIESON, 23. Rhyan GRANT, 24. Dimitri PETRATOS
*two to be omitted
In: 21. Scott JAMIESON (flu), 3. Stephan KELLER (concussion)
Out: 9. Bruno CAZARINE (back), 22. Sung-Hwan BYUN (suspension – one week)
Unavailable: Nicky Carle (Back – 3 Weeks)
Wellington Phoenix: 1. Mark PASTON (gk), 2. Manny MUSCAT, 4. Nick WARD, 6. Tim BROWN, 8. Paul IFILL, 9. Chris GREENACRE, 11. DANIEL, 12. James MUSA, 13. Troy HEARFIELD, 15. Jade NORTH, 17. Vince LIA, 18. Ben SIGMUND, 19. Danny VUKOVIC (gk), 21. Marco ROJAS, 22. Andrew DURANTE (c), 23. Dylan MACALLISTER
*one to be omitted*
In: Ben SIGMUND (returns from suspension), Dylan MACALLISTER (promoted)
Out: Leo BERTOS (groin – 1 week)
Unavailable: Tony LOCHHEAD (groin – 3 weeks), Oscar Roberto CORNEJO (knee – 3 weeks), Leo BERTOS (groin – 1 week), Simon ELLIOTT (calf – 1 week)
Head-to-Head: All matches (played 11): Sydney FC wins 6, Wellington Phoenix wins 4 (1 draw)
ENDS>
For more contact Ben Hawes on 0404 785 552 or benh@sydneyfc.com
