Heart's A-League finals hopes still beat

Mar 15, 2014 - 6:48 AM The hosting of Wellington Phoenix gives Melbourne Heart the chance to re-visit the best and worst of a roller-coaster A-League season.

The two prior meetings between the sides provide the bookends for Heart's redemption story in a campaign that could still end in a finals place.

A festive season fixture in Melbourne in December ended John Aloisi's tenure as then bottom-placed, winless Heart lost at home to second-bottom Wellington.

Then last month in Wellington under new boss John van `t Schip, the Heart set a number of records as David Williams netted the club's first hat-trick in a 5-0 rout.

Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick said this week the club still talked about that result, which halted their own finals momentum after a similarly woeful start to the season.

But the long winless runs that began their season are a distant memory now - this is a meeting of two in-form teams.

With five matches left in the season, Phoenix are three points south of sixth place, with Heart a further three points adrift and likely to be out of contention unless they bridge that gap with an AAMI Park win.

Van `t Schip's midfield warriors Orlando Engelaar, Massimo Murdocca and Jonatan Germano have underpinned their resurgence, with Heart likely to name a settled side again.

The Dutch boss said despite Heart ending a four-match winning run with a 1-0 loss in Newcastle last week, he was likely to resist the temptation to tinker with his selections.

"If you lose one time, it's doesn't mean you need to throw over a lot of players," he said.

That would mean a place on the bench for captain Harry Kewell behind the impressive forward trio of David Williams, Iain Ramsay and Mate Dugandzic.

Not that van `t Schip was going to give his game-plans away.

"Everybody's fit so everybody's in competition for being in the squad and in the line-up," he said with his trademark straight face.

For Phoenix, Ernie Merrick will hope Costa Rican Kenny Cunningham can continue a run of scoring in three consecutive games.

Wellington - missing Leo Bertos, Reece Caira, Paul Ifill, Albert Riera and Louis Fenton to long-term injuries - will at least be able to welcome back Manny Muscat from suspension.

Source: AAP