{"id":323862,"date":"2024-12-12T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=323862"},"modified":"2024-12-12T14:24:45","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T01:24:45","slug":"ninja-a-league-round-6-match-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-6-match-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Ninja A-League Round 6 Match Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A major test for the resurgent Wellington Phoenix to kick-off round six of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenix are visiting high-flying Melbourne Victory at the Home of the Matildas, just five days after the Nix knocked over Brisbane Roar 2-1 at Porirua Park.<br><br>Back-to-back wins have seen Wellington move on to the verge of the top six, while the Victory sit second just a point behind early pacesetters Melbourne City and have welcomed back their Matildas Emily Gielnik and Alex Chidiac.<br><br>Phoenix head coach Paul Temple is full of respect for the Victory and his opposite Jeff Hopkins, but believes they can be beaten.<br><br>\u201cThey\u2019re a big team in this league,\u201d Temple told media after training on Thursday. \u201cThey\u2019re perennial title contenders, in the finals and winning championships.<br><br>\u201cOn paper you could probably argue they\u2019ve got the strongest squad and they\u2019re right at the top of the table with City.<br><br>\u201cWe know what\u2019s in front of us, but we really do believe that we have a team that can beat anyone on our day.<br><br>\u201cIt\u2019s about getting things right. We\u2019re going to have to be at our best to beat a team of Victory\u2019s quality, but there\u2019s no reason why we can\u2019t go over there and put our best foot forward.<br><br>\u201cWe\u2019ve got a plan for the game and it\u2019s about us implementing that and the players need to stand up, put good performances in and if we can have our levels where we know we\u2019re capable of then there\u2019s no reason why we can\u2019t go on and win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Press Conference - Paul Temple\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kqZqj-yUsMQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The squad is full of belief following the wins over Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar.<br><br>\u201cI think we\u2019re feeling more confident after going away and winning last time out against Adelaide. That\u2019s helped in terms of building the confidence.<br><br>\u201cWe played at the Home of the Matildas last year. It was a pretty crazy game; I think it was 5-3 in the end.<br><br>\u201cWe know we can go there and we can score goals, but we\u2019ve got to be strong defensively because they\u2019ve got a lot of firepower.<br><br>\u201cWe\u2019ll show respect for that and set-up accordingly, but when the whistle blows there will be no respect and it\u2019ll be all on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"323872\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-6-match-preview\/grace-jale-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"3227,2152\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1733480259&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Grace Jale\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-323872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg 3227w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Grace-Jale.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Wellington Phoenix are all smiles during training at NZCIS. Photo: Cam McIntosh\/Photomac.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Temple has brushed off the short turnaround which will affect Melbourne Victory too as they played in Perth on Sunday.<br><br>\u201cIt seems a bit odd that we\u2019re playing on Friday, but we\u2019ve practiced once in pre-season the five day turnaround and we had the same in the Unite Round.<br><br>\u201cThe bodies are feeling good, we\u2019ve managed this week really well and I think that experience of doing it twice already has really helped the staff and the players prepare.<br><br>\u201cWe feel good, we\u2019re ready to roll and there won\u2019t be an excuse on Friday night.\u201d<br><br>Paul Temple has a near full-strength squad to pick from. Aside from the season-ending injuries to Rebecca Lake and Ella McCann, back-up goalkeeper Aimee Danieli (concussion) is the only player ruled out of consideration to play Victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"323871\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-6-match-preview\/team-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"4232,2821\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;NZPhotomac&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 7D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1733483591&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;(C) NZPhotomac&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;160&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Team (6)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-323871\" style=\"width:744px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg 4232w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/12\/Team-6.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Paul Temple (centre) at Wellington Phoenix training with Alivia Kelly (left) and Maya McCutcheon (right). Photo: Cam McIntosh\/Photomac.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>American defender Alivia Kelly is in contention to make her first start for the Phoenix after playing the second half of the 2-1 win over Brisbane on Sunday.<br><br>\u201cAlivia came on and did well in the game. Professional debut and chucked straight in but she dealt with it very well.<br><br>\u201cShe\u2019s continuing to settle in with the group and improving each day at training. You can start to see some of her qualities coming out as she\u2019s feeling more and more comfortable with the situation and environment.<br><br>\u201cWe know Gielnik is the main centre forward for the Victory and she has a lot of size, pace and power, and is good in the air.<br><br>\u201cObviously Alivia has a good frame, is athletic and is good in the air so I think there\u2019s the potential for us to match them up and it\u2019ll be a good test for her.\u201d<br><br>The sixth round Ninja A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory is scheduled to kick-off at the Home of the Matildas in Melbourne at 9pm (7pm AEDT) Friday and will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sport 1 in New Zealand and on Paramount+ and 10 Play in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"match-card-embed-root\" class=\"match-card-embed block-match-card-embed block_9ac1ae0ba0fd9227325875ff98331eb4\" data-competition=\"9p3nnxhdjahfn8qswpzy8oyc3\" data-club=\"7213z0g9qz2msv8wbbi1xpzpw\" data-match=\"dsyjl5g2metp60x5xuze7dn9w\" data-position=\"8\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Most recent meeting:<\/strong>\u00a03 March 2024 \u2013 Melbourne Victory 5 Wellington Phoenix 3<br><br><strong>All-time A-League head to head:<\/strong>\u00a0Phoenix 0W, Victory 3W, 2D<br><br><strong>Wellington Phoenix squad <\/strong><em>(two to be omitted)<\/em><strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>2. Zoe MCMEEKEN, 3. Tiana JABER, 4. Mackenzie BARRY, 5. Alivia KELLY, 6. Maya MCCUTCHEON, 7. Grace JALE, 9. Olivia FERGUSSON, 10. Alyssa WHINHAM, 11. Manaia ELLIOTT, 12. Ella MCMILLAN, 13. Brooke NEARY (gk),14. Mebae TANAKA, 15. Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16. Annalie LONGO (c), 19. Liv INGHAM, 20. Emma MAIN, 21. Lara WALL, 39. Carolina VIL\u00c3O (gk).<br>Unavailable:18. Ella MCCANN (injured), 22. Aimee DANIELI (gk) (injured), 23. Rebecca LAKE (injured).<br><br><strong>Melbourne Victory squad <\/strong><em>(two to be omitted)<\/em><strong>:\u00a0<\/strong>2. Ellie WILSON, 3. Claudia BUNGE, 4. Sara D\u2019APPOLONIA, 5. Sofia SAKALIS, 6. Beattie GOAD, 7. Ella O\u2019GRADY, 8. Alana MURPHY, 10. Alex CHIDIAC, 11. Nicki FLANNERY, 15. Emily GIELNIK, 18. Kayla MORRISON, 22. Ava BRIEDIS, 23. Rachel LOWE, 24. Laura PICKETT, 27. Rosie CURTIS, 50.\u00a0Courtney NEWBON, 62. Geo CANDY, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI.<br>Unavailable:\u00a0Nil.<br><br><strong><em>Main image:<\/em><\/strong><em> Cam McIntosh\/Photomac.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":323870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,330,338,343,355],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":5096,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":"322458","match_card_embed_disable":false,"auto_publish_updates":true,"reference_article":null,"article_featured_video":"","article_featured_video_tagline":"","article_byline":"","article_media_type":"news","article_video":"","gallery":"","shared_ffa_source":"keepup","shared_hide_in_app":false,"article_player":"","article_team":"","article_competition":"","article_match":"","credit":"","related_articles":"","push_to_social":false,"priority":1,"sport":false,"language":"en","private_content":false,"access_level":"","article_id":"","app_featured_image":null,"article_content_group":"news"},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/ninja-a-league-round-6-match-preview\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Ninja 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