New Zealand broadcast confirmed for Sky Sport NZ Pop-Up 1 (Channel 055).
Two sides from last season’s Hyundai A-League Elimination Final meet for a spot in the last eight of the 2015 Westfield FFA Cup. Expect more drama from these evenly matched sides.
MATCH DETAILS
Melbourne City FC v Wellington Phoenix
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
AAMI Park, Melbourne (VIC)
Kick-off:Â 7:30pm local (9.30pm NZT, 7:30pm AEST)
Referee:Â Lucien Laverdure
Assistant Referee 1: Brad Hobson
Assistant Referee 2: Wilson Brown
Fourth Official:Â Luke Brennan
AAR 1:Â Jonathan Barreiro
AAR 2:Â Adam Bavcar
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Tickets: Click here for ticketing details
Online Broadcast: Streamed online at www.foxsports.com.au/football/ffa-cup/ffacupondemand and Apple TV via FOX SPORTS Now.
New Zealand broadcast on Sky Sport NZ Pop-Up 1 (Channel 055).
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #MCYvWEL
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Melbourne City FC squad:Â 2.Mahmut Ali EYIGUN, 3.Aaron HUGHES, 4.Connor CHAPMAN, 5.Ivan FRANJIC, 6.Erik PAARTALU, 8.Aaron MOOY, 9.Harry NOVILLO, 10.Robert KOREN, 11.Michael ZULLO, 13.Jonatan GERMANO, 15.Stefan ZINNI, 17.Wade DEKKER, 18.Paulo RETRE, 19.Philip PETRESKI, 20.Tando VELAPHI (gk), 21.Stefan MAUK, 22.Jack CLISBY, 24.Patrick KISNORBO (c), 26.March MARINO, 27.Luka PRELEVIC, 28.Steve KUZMANOVSKI, 40.Yaren SOZER (gk)
Wellington Phoenix squad:Â 1.Glen MOSS (gk), 2.Manny MUSCAT, 4.Roly BONEVACIA, 8.Alex RODRIGUEZ, 10.Michael McGLINCHEY, 11.Kwabena APPIAH, 13.Albert RIERA, 14.Alex RUFER, 16.Louis FENTON, 17.Vince LIA, 18.Ben SIGMUND, 19.Tom DOYLE, 20.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 21.Roy KRISHNA, 22.Andrew DURANTE, 23.Matthew RIDENTON, 29.Joel STEVENS, 30.Oli SAIL (gk), 31.Andrew BLAKE
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BLUFFER’S GUIDE
The Westfield FFA Cup provides an opportunity for some early payback for Phoenix, but the visitors will need to shake off a rusty pre-season so far.
The Kiwis – sans leading scorer from last season Nathan Burns who is now at Tokyo FC – have struggled for goals and lost to a New Zealand ‘A’ side on the weekend.
A potentially serious injury to the unlucky Louis Fenton is another headache for Merrick heading into this one.
Expect playmaker Michael McGlinchey to take on a greater responsibility, while the likes of Roy Krishna will be needed to make the most of any goal-scoring chances.
City survived a potential Cup boilover against Edgeworth FC in the last round but will be better prepared for this clash on their home turf.
The side’s new faces have had more time to gel which can only be a positive with City sure to start slight favourites to book a spot in the quarters.
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WHAT THEY SAY
John van ‘t Schip (Melbourne City FC coach)
“We always want to improve and in the end we had a finish [last season] that was positive by getting to the playoffs. During the off season we want to make sure we are more consistent and we’re working hard towards achieving that goal.’’
Andrew Durante (Wellington Phoenix captain)
“This FFA Cup has really helped in getting the team to really strive for something in between the seasons. We fell out of the FFA Cup in the first round last year so we want to go a bit better this year. The boys will be ready to go.”
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
MELBOURNE CITY
League:Â Hyundai A-League
Current ladder position:Â Last season, fifth in the Hyundai A-League
Latest result:Â Â Lost 4-3 against Adelaide United in a friendly
Who to watch out for:Â Aaron Mooy
Official site:Â www.melbournecityfc.com.au
WELLINGTON PHOENIX
League:Â Hyundai A-League
Current ladder position:Â Last season, fourth in the A-League
Latest result: Lost 2-1 to a New Zealand A XI
Who to watch out for:Â Roly Bonevacia
Official site:Â www.prod.wellingtonphoenix.aleagues.com.au
