89 minutes of tense football had passed until a fateful error by Nix goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi saw Auckland’s Jake Brimmer intercept a short pass inside the penalty area and fire Auckland into a 1-0 lead.
The Wellingtonians threw men forward and were caught short at the back, with Luis Toomey of Auckland making a long run down the left hand flank to link with Brimmer for his second of the match and send the travelling fans from Tāmaki Makaurau into bedlam and home with a 2-0 win.
“[Capacity is going to be] 26,253 which is, funnily enough, just one more than the previous record set by the largest regular season A-League attendance at the last derby down in Wellington, which was 26,252,” said Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker.
The Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix derby will kick off at the family friendly hour of 5pm on Saturday afternoon.
Neyder Moreno of Auckland and Isaac Hughes of the Phoenix in the first derby. Photo / Photosport
The A-League Men’s season is five games in, how have the two teams gone so far?
Five matches, five wins for the A-League newcomers Auckland FC and that sees them two points clear of Melbourne Victory at the top of the table. The Black Knights are also yet to concede a goal, while scoring eight themselves. The 2-0 win against the Phoenix is their best result thus far, but they also dealt with a quality Sydney FC side in a 1-0 win at home.
The Phoenix have made a steady start to their season; winning three, drawing one and suffering the one loss to Auckland. They’re five points back of their rivals in fourth so three points in the derby would make a dent into that gap.
Across their five matches the Nix have conceded just three goals, their composure at the back has continued from last season. Their best result came in a 3-0 hammering of defending champions Central Coast which was the perfect response to the week after the heartbreak they suffered against Auckland.
Auckland FC were rewarded for their travel with a 2-0 win in the first derby. Photo / Photosport
What are the coaches saying?
Auckland FC coach Steve Corica: “They like to chop and change systems. We just need to be prepared for a couple of different systems that they want to play.
“Like every game, we do our homework on them, we make sure we know what their strengths and weaknesses are, but again, it’s all about our mentality going into the game.
“It’s a derby, the boys will be up for it – it’s how you compete. The last game was a really tight game and we scored towards the end and it probably will be much of the same. It’s a pretty, pretty fierce derby already.
“It comes down to scoring goals at the end of the day and we did that really well, we defended well, last game and we’ve got to do much more of the same.”
Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano: “The theme is like every other week, just prepare diligently.
“Making sure the boys are focused, don’t overplay the game ... I don’t need to motivate them, I don’t need to give them a prop up. They’ll do that in the playing group themselves, so for me it’s just about making sure the tactics are right.
“My job is to manage that line of emotion, making sure that it doesn’t cross over into too much emotion. I think emotion is normal, I think it’s very healthy for a rivalry, there’ll be a lot of intensity to the game and it’s just making sure my players can stay level-headed.”
Giancarlo Italiano. Photo / Getty Images
Who should I be watching?
Hideki Ishige is proving to be a great piece of business by the Phoenix. The number 9 has already staked a claim for goal of the season with his splendid free kick against Central Coast opening the scoring in their 3-0 win. Look for him to try and press the issue on the flanks for the Nix and if the visitors are to be the first team to put a goal past Auckland’s defence this season, he will likely be involved in some capacity as he very nearly did just that in the opening derby, only to send a diving header over the bar late.
Prior to signing with Auckland FC, the furthest Belgian midfielder Louis Verstraete had travelled to play football was about 40 minutes. He now finds himself on the other side of the world and as a vital cog in the blue and black machine. His ability to break up opposition moves in midfield while helping transition from defence to attack with precise passing is a large part of the Aucklanders’ early A-League success.
How can I watch?
You can watch Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix live on Sky Sport 1 from 4pm.
The Herald will also have live score updates as well as a match report to follow after the final whistle.
Will Toogood is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He enjoys watching people chase a ball around on a grass surface so much he decided to make a living out of it.
