Brisbane Roar are focused on a top-three finish as juggle the A-League and AFC Champions League (ACL), while Wellington Phoenix must snap out of their slump if they're to make the finals.
SQUADS
Brisbane Roar squad: 1.Michael THEO (gk), 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN, 9.Jamie MACLAREN, 10.Brett HOLMAN, 13.Jade NORTH, 16.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS, 15.ARANA, 17.Matt MCKAY (c), 19.Jack HINGERT, 20.Shannon BRADY, 21.Jamie YOUNG (gk)g, 22.Thomas BROICH, 24.Connor O'TOOLE, 25.Kye ROWLES, 28.Brandon BORRELLO, 29.Joe CALETTI, 33.Joey KATEBIAN, 46.Cameron CRESTANI
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN (promoted), 16.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS (promoted), 19.Jack HINGERT (returns from injury), 20.Shannon BRADY (promoted), 21.Jamie YOUNG (promoted), 24.Connor O'TOOLE (promoted), 25.Kye ROWLES (promoted), 33.Joey KATEBIAN (promoted)
Outs: 3.Luke DEVERE (calf – 4 weeks), 8.Jacob PEPPER (not selected), 11.Tommy OAR (not selected), 26.Nick D'AGOSTINO (not selected), 43.Tomislav BILIC (gk) (not selected), 50.Dane INGHAM (not selected)
Unavailable: 4.Daniel BOWLES (knee – season), 5.Corey BROWN (hamstring – 2 weeks)
Wellington Phoenix Squad: 1.Glen MOSS (gk), 2.Jacob TRATT, 6.Dylan FOX, 8.Alex RODRIGUEZ, 9.Kosta BARBAROUSES, 11.Hamish WATSON, 12.Adam PARKHOUSE, 13 Marco ROSSI, 15, James McGARRY, 17.Vince LIA, 20.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 21 Roy KRISHNA, 22.Andrew DURANTE (c), 23.Matthew RIDENTON, 24.Logan ROGERSON, 25.Sarpreet SINGH, 30.Oliver SAIL (gk), 99.Shane SMELTZ
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Jacob TRATT (returns from injury), 15.James McGARRY (promoted), 22.Andrew DURANTE (returns from suspension), 24.Logan ROGERSON (promoted), 30.Oliver SAIL (promoted)
Outs: 4.Roly BONEVACIA (omitted), 5.Ryan LOWRY (omitted), 19.Tom DOYLE (omitted)
Unavailable: 7.Gui FINKLER (paternity leave - 1 week), 10.Michael McGLINCHEY (knee injury - 1 to 2 weeks)
BLUFFER'S GUIDE
Roar have been in-and-around the top four all season and will look at this as a match they must win to consolidate their charge towards third spot in the A-League table.
But this challenge will be more about their physical condition rather than their quality.
Saturday afternoon's clash will be Brisbane's eighth game in just 28 days as they juggle their domestic commitments with continental football.
John Aloisi has done a great job with his squad, giving a host of youngsters an opportunity in the first team and the likes of Joe Caletti, Dane Ingham, Cameron Crestani and Nick D'Agostino have impressed in the A-League and ACL.
Brisbane have compiled an eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions since the last time they played Wellington.
It will be interesting to see what Aloisi does with his starting side for this one after Roar's draw with Muangthong United on Tuesday and a trip to South Korea coming up next week.
In a massive blow, centre-back Luke DeVere will miss the next four weeks with a calf problem, joining fellow defenders Daniel Bowles (knee) and Corey Brown (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Roar can draw on a sensational home record against the Phoenix, losing just one of 14 matches against Wellington at Suncorp Stadium.
While Brisbane have been resilient and hard to beat over the last month, the Phoenix have been the complete opposite.
Last week's 5-1 loss at home against Melbourne City was their fourth defeat in their last five games, all but ending their finals hopes.
The rapid improvement under coaching pair Des Buckingham and Chris Greenacre has plateaued and the ease in which City strolled through their defence must sound huge alarm bells.
The return of skipper Andrew Durante from suspension should help, while Roly Bonevacia, Ryan Lowry and Tom Doyle have all been dropped.
ROUTE TO GOAL
Roar started key attackers Jamie Maclaren and Thomas Broich on the bench against Muangthong with an eye on having them fresh and firing for this one.
Maclaren's goals have been pivotal for Brisbane lately, with the Socceroos striker having notched 11 for the campaign, while Broich has been back to his flamboyant best since the turn of the year, including two assists in last week's 2-2 draw at Perth Glory.
Given Wellington's defensive issues - the Phoenix have conceded at least two goals in each of their last six away games - the hosts should get plenty of chances.
At the other end, the Phoenix have been heavily reliant on Roy Krishna (9 goals) in 2016-17 and luckily for the visitors, the Fijian striker has overcome the knee injury that forced him off against City.
Marquee winger Kosta Barbarouses missed a penalty last week but did notch his third goal of the season and he will need to provide some creativity with Michael McGlinchey, Gui Finkler and Bonevacia all out of the squad.
WHO'S BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK?
Thomas Broich. The classy German is revelling in this busy period across Australia and Asia with some eye-catching performances in an orange shirt.
FORM LINES (all competitions)
Brisbane Roar: DWDDD
Wellington Phoenix: LDLLL
PREDICTION
Brisbane Roar 3-1 Wellington Phoenix
