The action continues in round 24 of the Australian A-League as Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix lock horns at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Sunday. Both sides’ quest for playoff qualification could potentially boil down to this weekend’s result, as they currently sit separated by just two points in a heated race for a top-six finish.

Melbourne City picked up another huge result in their push for playoff qualification last Tuesday when they saw off a late comeback scare to see out a 2-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners on home turf.

Aurelio Vidmar’s side have gone four consecutive games without defeat, picking up three wins and one draw, having failed to taste victory in the five matches preceding this run (2D 3L).

With just three games to go, Melbourne City are poised to secure playoff football, as they sit sixth in the A-League table with 32 points from 23 games, albeit just one point above seventh-placed Macarthur.

Like the home side, Wellington Phoenix have turned their fortunes around in crunch time, with Chris Greenacre’s men claiming an impressive 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory last weekend.

Having failed to win seven straight games between January 23 and March 6, the result over Melbourne Victory means the Phoenix have now won three consecutive league games for the first time since January 2023.

This upturn in form has put Wellington in contention for post-season football, as they now sit eighth in the league table with 30 points from 23 matches, just two points behind this weekend’s hosts.

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Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• With 23 wins from the last 46 meetings between the sides, Melbourne City boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.
• Wellington Phoenix have picked up 13 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 10 occasions.
• Melbourne City are unbeaten in their last five home matches against Wellington Phoenix, claiming four wins and one draw since a 2-1 defeat in August 2022.
• Wellington have lost just one of their most recent seven away matches, while picking up four wins and two draws since the turn of the year.

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Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction

Given the stakes of this weekend’s tie, we expect Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix to leave everything on the line at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as they look to strengthen their stake for a playoff spot.

Both sides have upped the ante in the run-in and will feel they have what it takes to get the result, but we predict Vidmar’s men will make the most of their home advantage.

Prediction: Melbourne City 2-1 Wellington Phoenix

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Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result – Melbourne City to win

Tip 2: First to score – Melbourne City (The hosts have opened the scoring in five of their last seven games against Wellington)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards – No (There have been fewer than five bookings in seven of their most recent eight encounters)