Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney Prediction: Stick with Lolley to score

Wellington Phoenix host Sydney FC at Sky Stadium on Wednesday (06:00, TNT Sports 1) in a crucial Australian A-League Men's clash between two clubs with top-six aspirations. The Nix are looking to bounce back from their recent 2-1 home defeat to Adelaide United, while Sydney will aim to build on their impressive 4-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners.

A win would see Ufuk Talay's Sydney side consolidate their position in the top six, while Wellington desperately need points to climb out of the bottom four. Giancarlo Italiano’s side, meanwhile, currently sit in 10th place with 13 points after 11 games, a far cry from their runner-up finish in the regular season last year. Read on for my Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney prediction, alongside team news and match odds.

Team News

Phoenix could be without three of their All Whites, with captain Alex Rufer battling glandular fever and both forward Marco Rojas and full-back Tim Payne under treatment for injuries.

Fellow New Zealand international Oskar van Huttum left the club to join Sligo Rovers this week, while the club agreed to terminate veteran striker David Ball’s contract early to end his five-and-a-half-year stint in Wellington.

Football Odds

Sydney FC have no fresh injury concerns, but remain without Brazilian winger Douglas Costa.

The former Bayern Munich and Juventus star is still recovering from a hamstring problem, although he could be back in the fold sooner than initially expected.

Midfielder Adrian Segecic will hope to have forced his way into the starting line-up after netting a hat-trick as a substitute last time out.

Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney Odds

The Sky Blues are the favourites at 9/10, giving them an implied probability of 52.6% to win, while Phoenix are priced at 5/2, or a 28.6% chance to secure victory. The draw is also 5/2.

Both teams to score, which has occurred in nine of their last 11 head-to-head encounters, is priced at 8/15, while over 2.5 goals is available at 4/7.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Sydney FC & Yes @ 11/5

Sydney FC have hit a rich vein of form, winning three of their last four A-League matches and scoring 12 goals in the process.

Their attack looks particularly potent, with Joe Lolley topping the A-League goalscoring charts with eight and Segecic taking home the match ball after their recent 4-1 thrashing of the Mariners.

Wellington, on the other hand, have struggled defensively, conceding in each of their last six league games.

They have lost some experienced players through injury and transfers recently.

However, the Nix have managed to find the net in seven of their last eight games, suggesting they can trouble the Sky Blues’ backline.

Given Sydney's superior form and Wellington's tendency to both score and concede, backing the visitors to win with both teams scoring seems a solid option.

Anytime Goalscorer - Joe Lolley (SYD) @ 13/10

Lolley has been a constant threat for Sydney this season and should be able to sniff out some chances against a struggling Wellington side.

He has scored six goals in the Sky Blues’ last four games, including a hat-trick against Perth Glory last week.

The Englishman, who takes penalties for Sydney, has shown a clinical edge in front of goal and appears to be thriving as part of Talay's fluid attacking system.

With his confidence sky-high and facing a leaky Nix defence, Lolley looks a good bet to find the net once again.

Offers

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