KEY POINTS:
The winner of today's Football Championship battle between Auckland City and Waitakere United should take a giant step towards overall honours.
Given the truncated season - now two rather than three rounds - and with the top team after those 14 games guaranteed a spot in next summer's
O-League, there will be real intensity from the moment the two teams run on to Kiwitea St.
For defending champions Waitakere it is the chance to find some fluidity after a rocky start to their season.
Held 2-2 by City in their early season O-League clash and then having to battle back from 0-2 against Team Wellington in their only NZFC outing before winning 4-2, United were then handed a 0-7 footballing lesson by the Wellington Phoenix. They restored some pride in beating Port Vila Sharks on Saturday but it was not a total performance as they failed to add to their three goals in the last hour.
City at home are always a tough proposition. Grant Young is back from injury for his 101st game in Auckland colours. He could be joined in the line-up by Salesh Kumar, who played for Fiji in their 2-0 win over the All Whites in Lautoka a week ago.
That raises the interesting prospect of Kumar being pitched in against Fijian team-mate Roy Krishna, who will play his third game in a week in spearheading the Waitakere attack.
Given the early season goal-grabbing form of Milosh Nikolic, Paul Urlovic has again found himself on the outer with Jordan, Young and Nikolic handling the attacking responsibilities. United coach Chris Milicich, with one eye firmly on the big picture - the upcoming Club World Cup in Japan - is treading warily and not prepared to take any risks with injured players Danny Hay and Neil Sykes.
A win for City could take them to the top of the table on goal difference; a win for the visitors could allow them to leapfrog the home team into second place.
HOW THE TEAMS LINE UP
Auckland City v Waitakere United, Kiwitea St, 5.45pm today.
Referee: Mike Hester
AUCKLAND CITY
Ross Nicholson, Nelson Sale, Matt Friel, Matt Williams, Ki-Hyung Lee, James Pritchett, Chad Coombes, Grant Young, Jacob Spoonley, Keryn Jordan, Ivan Vicelich, Salesh Kumar, Greg Uhlmann, Riki van Steeden, Liam Mulrooney, Milosh Nikolic.
WAITAKERE UNITED
Richard Gillespie, Jonathan Perry, Aaron Scott, Tim Myers, Danny Hay (subject to fitness test), Daniel Ellensohn, Paul Seaman, Benjamin Totori, Allan Pearce, Roy Krishna, Daniel Koprivcic, Jeff Campbell, Christopher Bale, Neil Emblen, Jake Butler, Ian Hogg, Kayne Vincent (subject to fitness test), Danny Robinson, Adriano Pimenta.
ODDS $2.30, DRAW $3.20, ODDS $2.80