Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney Prediction: Sky Blues to swoop in after Italiano exit

A 5-0 home hammering by Auckland FC, Wellington Phoenix's third 'Kiwi Clasico' defeat of the season, last weekend signalled the end of Giancarlo Italiano's tenure as Nix head coach, with Chris Greenacre subsequently brought in as interim boss for the fourth time in his career. The first game of his fourth spell arrives this Sunday (02:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1), with Sydney FC providing the opposition at Sky Stadium.

Below are my Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Team News

Sarpreet Singh, Nathan Walker and Tim Payne (all unspecified) remain sidelined for Wellington Phoenix due to injury, while eight-goal forward Ifeanyi Eze is suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card of the campaign last weekend.

Football Odds

Gus Hoesfloot (wrist) is Sydney's only absentee, while Marcel Tisserand and Akol Akon have both been included in Ufuk Talay's extended squad.

Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney Odds

Wellington Phoenix, winless since beating Sydney 2-0 at Allianz Stadium on January 18, are 23/10, or a 30.3% chance, to secure all three points this Sunday, with the Sky Blues 19/20 favourites, implying a 51.3% probability of success, while the draw is priced at 5/2.

Match Result - Sydney @ 19/20

I'll take Sydney to win at just under EVS after a vital victory last weekend that ended their three-game wait for a win.

Granted, it came at home to a struggling Brisbane Roar, and at 1-0, wasn't entirely convincing, while the Sky Blues have lost their last two away matches without scoring.

Today's Football Fixtures

However, the Nix have lost three of their last five games, including their last two at home, with the latest defeat a chastening 5-0 reverse to New Zealand rivals Auckland FC.

Italiano has now left the helm, and while his departure may relieve some of the tension, the arrival of an interim boss isn't exactly inspiring, so Sydney, with a much more talented crop of players, can swoop in on Sunday.

To Win to Nil - Sydney @ 11/4

The Nix have scored in 16 of their 18 games this season, but they head into Sunday's contest without leading marksman Eze, whose eight goals account for 28.6% of their total (28).

Sydney, meanwhile, kept a clean sheet against Brisbane Roar last weekend, which was their seventh shutout of the season; no club has kept more clean sheets than the Sky Blues, who are level with Melbourne City.

Nick Ware P/L 25/26 ALM Season (After GW18)

 P/L: +4.6%