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\u201cIt\u2019s healthy for New Zealand football. Any club is built on great rivalry. I\u2019m a Sampdoria fan, and Sampdoria against Genoa is one of the biggest derbies in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou need animosity, some sort of talking point, big moments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe first derby set up a really good vibe for the second one. There were some comments that got clickbaited and made the event more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d love it if they were booing for 90 minutes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He knows where they must improve to secure a positive result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDefensively they\u2019re very good, and they\u2019re top of the table for a reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor us, I think it\u2019s about mitigating and making sure we don\u2019t give errors that lead to big chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cApart from the transitional goal in the first game, we could have defended all the goals we\u2019ve conceded against Auckland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe more the group plays together, the more they understand what\u2019s required in the game model and so on, those errors are starting to become minimal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be a game where Auckland give up a lot of chances. It might be two, three chances in the game and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Italiano has been boosted by the earlier-than-expected return of Marco Rojas to the squad after injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMarco\u2019s about two weeks ahead of schedule. He\u2019s done really well over the last two weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was a bit of aggravation in the ankle, but that hasn\u2019t flared up. He\u2019s given us the confidence that he\u2019s ready to play. He\u2019s someone great to utilise in the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to reveal the game plan, but I\u2019d like him to be part of the game tomorrow at some stage. It really depends on how the game pans out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we need a goal, or some creativity, I might give him a little bit longer than what I\u2019d planned.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n New visa signing Chico Geraldes is also in line to make his debut for the club on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEverything\u2019s in place for Chico. I\u2019m happy that we have him as well, he\u2019s going to bring more service to Kosta up top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019ll take part in tomorrow\u2019s game, and probably in the same boat as Marco.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Club captain Alex Rufer made his own comeback from glandular fever last week from the bench, and Italiano will continue treating him with caution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s unique. Illness is a different dynamic. Injury, you have an expected return to play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was a bit of uncertainty around recovery, mental fatigue, physical fatigue. It\u2019s been an ongoing discussion, I speak to him every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe good thing is that he wants to play every minute, and wants to lead the team. There\u2019s always a chance of relapse, so that\u2019s the one thing that we\u2019re focused on preventing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s more about a duty of care and making sure that he\u2019s right. I\u2019m looking more longer term. But he\u2019ll be involved.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While injuries to senior players have stalled Wellington\u2019s season, there are positives to take from the situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating in one part, because I haven\u2019t been able to use the team that I envisaged at the start of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn the flipside, a lot of these young guys have come through and had accelerated learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve lasted two months relying on those boys and we\u2019ve been getting results. Not a lot of wins, but it\u2019s very positive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo have all these players back filtering back, I\u2019ll be really pleased when they\u2019re all fully fit and ready to go. I\u2019m hoping that\u2019s within the next couple of weeks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The round 20 Isuzu UTE A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC is scheduled to kick-off at Go Media Stadium in Auckland at 5pm Saturday and will be broadcast free-to-air on Sky Open in New Zealand and LIVE on Sky Sport 2 in New Zealand and on Paramount+ in Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/02\/25-2-21-ALM-Training-26.jpg?w=1200\")
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