Wellington Phoenix is ​​relying on different results as they prepare for the regular season finale

The Wellington Phoenix were due to return to their Wollongong base for the first time in more than two weeks on Monday. They held on to the fact that while their A-League playoff hopes have taken a hit, they are still on the hunt.

Before leaving Auckland, they had a result when the Western Sydney Wanderers rebounded from their loss to Phoenix last Wednesday, beating Brisbane Roar 2-0.

But after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Perth Glory at Eden Park, which ended in a string of unsuccessful penalty shoot-outs, Ulises Dávila need two more results to find their way and win at Macarthur FC on Friday to win theirs To extend season.

Andrew Cornaga / Photo Sports

The Wellington Phoenix are still alive in the race for the A-League playoffs.

As of today, there are seven teams, including the Phoenix, chasing the last four spots in the top 6, but only four to worry about.

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Put simply, they have to win on Friday to finish the regular season on 38 points and hope to land at least two of fourth-placed Adelaide United, fifth-placed Brisbane, sixth-placed Macarthur and ninth-placed Perth among them. A draw or a loss will not be enough.

Adelaide currently has 38 points and one more game against Western Sydney on Thursday that they have to win or draw to avoid being caught by the Phoenix, who would end up ahead of the Reds if both finished with 38 points as a goal difference.

The Roar have 37 points left and two home games against Perth and Sydney. The Phoenix ideally would like them to draw against Perth on Wednesday (which would eliminate the fame) and lose to Sydney on Saturday, but a couple of losses would work too.

Macarthur still have 36 points and two games to go, against Western United (albeit in Sydney due to Melbourne’s Covid-19 lockdown) and then at home against Phoenix, who can only overtake the Bulls if they draw for the first time on Monday play or lose.

The Glory have 33 points after Sunday’s draw and would need two more wins against Brisbane and Newcastle Jets to overtake the Phoenix.

If Macarthur drew or lost against Western and Adelaide lost to Wanderers, the Phoenix would regain control of their own destiny when they made the short trip north to Campbelltown Stadium on Friday.

The same would be the case if either of these outcomes occurred and if the Roar won or tied against Perth.

But if Macarthur, Brisbane and Adelaide all win in the coming days, the Phoenix will only be proud to play in their final start to the season.

And there are other scenarios where they win on Friday and then have to wait 24 hours to find out their fate once the Roar host Sydney and the Glory visit the Jets.

Which is noteworthy when you consider that they have been stationed in Wollongong since early November as the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting border restriction have forced them to climb sticks and drive across the Tasman.

A bittersweet mood reigned in Eden Park after Sunday’s draw, with the Phoenix being a transformed penalty – and they will argue, another that was forgiven – that they couldn’t ignore every remaining game but their own, but still one new game set club record for consecutive games without loss and kept their season alive.

The players and staff had been on the move since their flight to Melbourne on May 15 before their draw against Melbourne City the following day. They spent two nights there, eight in Wellington, two in Sydney and four in Auckland, but now they are returning to Wollongong, their adopted home.

It remains to be seen whether they will stay there for a while or make plans to finally return home by the end of next weekend.

Premiers Melbourne City and runner-up Sydney are the two teams that make it into the top six. The third-placed Central Coast Mariners can be caught, but not by the Phoenix, and the eighth-placed Wanderers can too. just not in a way that would affect the phoenix.

A-League playoff permutations

To reach the top six, the Phoenix I need two of these four things to happen and to defeated Macarthur FC on Friday::

• Adelaide United too lose to Western Sydney Wanderers on Thursday;
• Brisbane roar too Earn a point or no points from the last two games. at home against Perth Glory on Wednesday and at home against Sydney FC on Saturday;
• Macarthur FC too Tie or loss to Western United On Monday;
• Perth fame too Draw or lose to the Roar or to Draw or loss to the Newcastle Jets on Saturday