Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory Prediction: Colakovski to provide the fizz against former employers

Two out-of-form sides face off in the Australian A-League Men’s this Saturday (02:00 GMT, TNT Sports 2) as Wellington Phoenix, winless in their last seven games, host Perth Glory, who are five without a victory.

Below are my Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory predictions, alongside all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Wellington Phoenix skipper Alex Rufer is free to return after serving a suspension last week as his side drew 1-1 at Adelaide United.

Sarpreet Singh and Nathan Walker (both unspecified) remain sidelined due to injury, however.

Football Odds

Meanwhile, Joel Anasmo (Achilles), Brandon O'Neill (calf), Cameron Cook (knee), Tom Lawrence and Lachlan Wales (both unspecified) are all still in the Perth Glory treatment room.

Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory Odds

Wellington Phoenix are 21/20 favourites, implying a 48.8% probability of success, while Perth Glory are 2/1, or a 33.3% chance, with the draw offered at 5/2.

Both Teams To Score and Total Goals Over/Under +2.5 - Yes & Over 2.5 @ 1/1

The two teams shared four goals between them last October in a 2-2 draw at HBF Park, and with both sides looking dodgy in defence, hopes are high for a similar return on Saturday.

The Nix have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven games, shipping 18 goals across that wretched run, although they did scored in five of them, with BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals a winning selection in the first four.

Perth, meanwhile, have seen over 2.5 goals land in five of their last six, with both teams scoring in four of those five, and the over 2.5 outlier was a 1-1 draw at Brisbane Roar on February 28.

Today's Football Fixtures

If either side harbours top-six ambitions, they need to start winning, and soon, so don't expect Wellington or Perth to settle for a draw on Saturday, which should create the conditions for an open encounter.

Neither team should fear the other, so I'm optimistic we could see a few goals at Sky Stadium.

Anytime Goalscorer - Stefan Colakovski (PER) @ 2/1

Former Nix forward Stefan Colakovski, who made six appearances for the New Zealanders last season before suffering a serious knee injury that curtailed his time at the club, endeared himself to the Yellow Fever last weekend with his post-goal celebrations in front of the Auckland FC fans at Go Media Stadium.

That strike in a 2-2 draw was the 25-year-old's third in seven games for the Glory since resigning last summer, and importantly, he played more than 90 minutes before being withdrawn in the final stages.

With Lawrence still sidelined, expect Colakovski to play the majority of Saturday's contest, and after failing to fire in a small number of appearances at Sky Stadium last season, you can imagine he will be desperate to prove his worth there this weekend.

Nick Ware P/L 25/26 ALM Season (After GW20)

 P/L: +2.8%