Weekly Warm-Up: Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix

The Sky Blues have the Phoenix in their sites! Can they make it a hat-trick of wins and push on for finals glory?

The Sky Blues have the Phoenix in their sites! Can they make it a hat-trick of wins and push on for finals glory?

In what has been an incredibly unpredictable campaign, Sydney FC head into the home-straight with destiny in their own hands. The Sky Blues know that if they keep on getting results they will be in the end-of-season shake-up in a few weeks. So be there with them all the way, starting with this Saturday's clash with ladder rivals Wellington Phoenix.

Not only are Sydney aiming for the finals, but a win against a team three points above them on the ladder would boost their chances of a home tie in the finals. However, the Sky Blues seem just as happy on the road as they do at Sydney Football Stadium. With wins at their home ground few and far between, they have picked up some crucial points on the road.

Last week is a fine example of that, as the team came away with a well-earned victory at Hindmarsh Stadium for the second time this season. Having taken the lead on the stroke of half-time through Joel Chianese, Sydney were pegged back by Adelaide midfielder Fabian Barbiero but substitute Mitchell Mallia proved himself to be the hero of the day, grabbing the all-important winner with 10 minutes left.

Meanwhile, Saturday's visitors to SFS slipped to fourth in the ladder last weekend after failing to capitalise on Central Coast Mariners' recent poor run. In Gosford, Wellington Phoenix fell 2-0 to the league leaders, with a stunning second-half strike from youngster Tomas Rogic and a Patrick Zwaanswijk header doing the damage in the second-half.

The result was harsh on goalkeeper Mark Paston, who had a fine game between the sticks, and the loss ended any small glimmer of hope he and his team-mates had of winning the league this season. It also put a five point gap between themselves and second place. While it is not beyond the realms of possibility that they can catch Brisbane, they will have to achieve a perfect run-in to do so, starting with a win in New South Wales this Saturday.

At the very least, they will be looking for home advantage in the elimination finals, so, after defeats to the top two in their last couple of games, they will be aiming to get right back to winning ways against the Sky Blues. They'll have to do it without Daniel though, after he sustained an ankle injury on Saturday.

With two Hyundai A-League heavyweights going toe-to-toe, the action is set to be explosive at Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday. Will Wellington get back to winning ways or can the Sky Blues make it three in a row? With competitors snapping at their heels, it's vital that Sydney pick up a result, so be there to cheer them on as the race for the prize nears its thrilling conclusion!