Wellington Phoenix vs Gold Coast United betting

Wellington Pheonix have the chance to move up to third on Sunday, if they can dispatch with table footing strugglers Gold Coast United.

With just 4 games to go before the finals series, Wellington are just a point behind Perth and 8 behind table toppers Central Coast after a 1-0 victory over Sydney last time out. Mathematically it's still possible for them to claim the title, but their realistic title ambitions are over after recent defeats to the Mariners and Brisbane.

Gold Coast are almost resigned to finishing bottom this season, and will be wishing for it to end. They've now gone 11 games without a win. That makes it no surprise that they're at very long odds for this Sunday's game at 5.75 with Luxbet, with Wellington at short odds of 1.57.

However there history against Wellington is not as dismal as this season's performances. Gold Coast have won 2 of the previous 8 encounters between the teams, and drawn on three occasions. They held Wellington to a 1-1 draw in their first game of this season but lost 1-0 in the second.

Gold Coast have struggled both in attack and defence his season but they do carry so in form attacking threats, which could pose danger for Wellington.

Dutchman Maceo Rigters is the battering ram spearheading the Gold Coast attack. His strength and power has helped him score 4 goals this season. The tally's not breathtaking, but for a team that have struggled it's more than respectable. He scored in his last match against Melbourne Victory and is a likely candidate to find the back of the net on Sunday.

Everyone in the A-league knows when you travel to Wellington, your going to have a tough test in keeping out Striker Paul Ifill. He's at the nucleus of the Pheonix attack, with 6 goals this season. The 32 year old Barbadian also shares the record with Shane Smeltz for the most goals scored in a single season, and his from will be crucial in deciding where Pheonix finish in the Finals Series.

It will be a huge shock if Gold Coast pulled off a win. For Wellington this is an opportunity they can't miss to put pressure on the teams above them. They're points tally for last season was 41, and just need 5 more points this season to improve on that. However Gold Coast frightened the Mariners a couple of weeks ago drawing 3-3, so for Wellington, the message will be 'underestimate United at your peril'. Article by Jonathan Hart