{"id":324297,"date":"2025-01-19T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=324297"},"modified":"2025-01-19T16:30:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-19T03:30:54","slug":"isuzu-ute-a-league-round-15-match-preview-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-15-match-preview-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Isuzu UTE A-League Round 15 Match Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Another major test of the Wellington Phoenix\u2019s depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Phoenix are without six contracted players for Monday night\u2019s Isuzu UTE A-League match against Macarthur FC at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Sydney.<br><br>Versatile defender Matt Sheridan has joined Alex Rufer, Tim Payne, Marco Rojas, Stefan Colakovski and Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues on the sidelines after suffering a concussion in Wednesday night\u2019s scoreless draw with Sydney FC.<br><br>The recent departure of Iraq international Mo Al-Taay leaves Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano with just 19 fit players, one of which is uncontracted reserves midfielder Lachlan Candy.<br><br>Fortunately fullback Sam Sutton is \u201cfine and ready to go\u201d &nbsp;on Monday night, despite suffering a nasty-looking injury against Sydney.<br><br>\u201cHe\u2019ll start,\u201d Italiano told media after training on Sunday. \u201cAt the moment whoever can run, will start.<br><br>\u201cWe\u2019ve got a couple of boys on the bench that have had a long break and I\u2019m putting them at a risk by putting them on the bench, but that\u2019s all that\u2019s available.<br><br>\u201cAnd it is what it is and I\u2019m not going to make it an excuse because we were shorthanded last game and the game before and these guys all pulled through with very good performances.<br><br>\u201cI just need 11 players, and I need six players off the bench that can give me just their heart and soul. And I think that will be good enough.\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=\"Pre-Match Press Conference | Chief (Wellington Phoenix v Macarthur FC)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FXhEvR7dohI?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\" 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>Italiano remains an \u201ceternal optimist\u201d and believes there have been positive signs in their past two matches.<br><br>\u201cI thought we put in a good performance against Adelaide. We were very unlucky to not get something out of that game.<br><br>\u201cI thought we played really well against Sydney. We might not have created a lot of chances, but we defended quite well and were in the game for large parts.<br><br>\u201cWe have a lot of players out at the moment and there\u2019s an opportunity for these other players to come in like Corban Piper, [Nathan] Walker\u2026and big Lukas [Kelly-Heald] is back now.<br><br>\u201cI\u2019m really buoyed by the fact now that even though we\u2019re experiencing some issues with depth these boys are now all stepping up for me.<br><br>\u201cThe team is going through a bit of suffering, which is good. It\u2019s part of becoming a better team.<br><br>\u201cAnd it\u2019s literally step-by-step. We\u2019re going to grind game-by-game, we\u2019re going to work hard [and] we\u2019re going to stick to what we believe in.<br><br>\u201cThe moment will come where we\u2019ll win a game and we\u2019ll look at what\u2019s happened over the last month or so and take it as a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324301\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-15-match-preview-3\/25-01-10-alby-kelly-heald-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2549,1699\" 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 R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1736459947&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"25-01-10 Alby Kelly-Heald (2)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg 2549w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/25-01-10-Alby-Kelly-Heald-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alby Kelly-Heald is all smiles ahead of a Wellington Phoenix training session at NZCIS. Photo: Cam McIntosh\/Photomac.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Nix sit 10<sup>th<\/sup> on the ladder, seven points behind fifth-placed Macarthur, but Giancarlo Italiano isn\u2019t looking at the top six.<br><br>\u201cI\u2019m looking at the performance of the first half, performing well, making sure I have 11 fit players and then building on that first half.<br><br>\u201cIt\u2019s literally a game-by-game proposition now.<br><br>\u201cI\u2019m more focused on the performance because I know if we keep performing like we did in the last couple of games the outcome will work itself out. The top six will work itself out if we\u2019re good enough.<br><br>\u201cI don\u2019t want to really focus on that too much. I think we need to go back to a more measured approach\u2026game-by-game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"324299\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-15-match-preview-3\/a-league-men-rd-8-wellington-phoenix-v-macarthur-fc-7\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"5400,3600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - DECEMBER 14: Val\\u00e8re Germain of Macarthur FC celebrates with Jake Hollman after scoring a goal during the round eight A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Macarthur FC at Sky Stadium, on December 14, 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\\\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1734196021&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2024 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;560&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A-League Men Rd 8 - Wellington Phoenix v Macarthur FC&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A-League Men Rd 8 &#8211; Wellington Phoenix v Macarthur FC\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; DECEMBER 14: Val\u00e8re Germain of Macarthur FC celebrates with Jake Hollman after scoring a goal during the round eight A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Macarthur FC at Sky Stadium, on December 14, 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?w=1200\" height=\"800\" width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-324299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg 5400w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/01\/GettyImages-2189865035.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND &#8211; DECEMBER 14: Val\u00e8re Germain of Macarthur FC celebrates with Jake Hollman after scoring a goal during the round eight A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Macarthur FC at Sky Stadium, on December 14, 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The two sides met at Sky Stadium last month, with Macarthur prevailing 2-1.<br><br>\u201cWhat have I learned? That you need to be focused defending for 90 minutes. That\u2019s what I learnt from that game.<br><br>\u201cWe had a poor five minutes at the start of that game at home. There were a lot issues in the phase leading up to the penalty that we conceded, which was disappointing.<br><br>\u201cIt was probably one of our best games with the ball. We actually had long periods with the ball that we were quite effective. [Hideki] Ishige, [Marco] Rojas and Kosta [Barbarouses] started building combinations and it was very promising.<br><br>\u201cThen unfortunately we got to the end part of the game and I didn\u2019t think we defended that well and we got punished for it.<br><br>\u201cWe won\u2019t be making those mistakes again.\u201d<br><br>The round 15 Isuzu UTE A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Macarthur FC is scheduled to kick-off at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Sydney at 9pm (7pm AEDT) Monday and will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sport 3 in New Zealand and on Paramount+ in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"match-card-embed-root\" class=\"match-card-embed block-match-card-embed block_c06d2c1c98c4783e552b946eab0e3f7b\" data-competition=\"xwnjb1az11zffwty3m6vn8y6\" data-club=\"6j4xzc2g1eeafo6v1f38d4x22\" data-match=\"b6sbwwl46aku2cqwlblsj3ytw\" data-position=\"8\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Most recent meeting:<\/strong> 14 December 2024 \u2013 Wellington Phoenix 1 Macarthur FC 2<br><br><strong>All-time A-League head-to-head:<\/strong> Phoenix 7W, Macarthur 3W &amp; 2D.<strong><br><br>Wellington Phoenix squad: <\/strong>1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 3. Corban PIPER, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 5. Fin ROA CONCHIE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Paulo RETRE, 9. Hideki ISHIGE, 15. Isaac HUGHES, 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD, 19. Sam SUTTON, 23. Luke SUPYK, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA, 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH, 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk), 36. Xuan LOKE, 39. Jayden SMITH, 41. Nathan WALKER, 46. Lachlan CANDY.Unavailable: 6. Tim PAYNE (injured), 11. Stefan COLAKOVSKI (injured), 14. Alex RUFER (c) (illness), 17. Gabriel SLOANE-RODRIGUES (injured), 21. Marco ROJAS (injured), 27. Matt SHERIDAN (concussion protocol).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Macarthur FC squad <\/strong><em>(two to be omitted)<\/em><strong>:<\/strong> 5. Matthew JURMAN, 6. Tomislav USKOK, 7. Daniel DE SILVA, 8. Jake HOLLMAN, 11. Jed DREW, 12.Filip KURTO (gk), 13. Ivan VUJICA, 15. Dino ARSLANAGIC,\u00a016. Oliver JONES, 18. Walter SCOTT, 20. Kealey ADAMSON, 21. BERNARDO, 22. Liam ROSE, 23. Frans DELI, 24. Dean BOSNJAK, 26. Luke BRATTAN, 28. Harrison SAWYER, 30. Alexander ROBINSON (gk), 44. Marin JAKOLIS, 98. Valere GERMAIN (c). <br><br><strong><em>Main image:<\/em><\/strong><em> Cam McIntosh\/Photomac.<\/em><br><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":324300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,330,338,356,343,1],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":5080,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":"321874","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\/isuzu-ute-a-league-round-15-match-preview-3\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Isuzu 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