Match 1 vs Sydney | Sat 2nd Jan | 7.05pm | SS7

Wellington Phoenix will be without Reno Piscopo for their opening game of the A-League season against Sydney FC on Saturday. He's currently sidelined with a calf injury.

— Phillip Rollo (@ByPhillipRollo) December 28, 2020

Big questions for me is how much game time will Hemed and Davila get in this first game. Davila didn't feature in any pre season games from what I saw. Hemed has been out of quarantine a while now but Talay seems to like easing players in.

Without those two and Piscopo. What is our front 4 going to look like? Sydneys defence is pretty unchanged so they will be very solid.

How's is our defence going to hold up with out Taylor? This is my biggest worry. Can TAHW and/or Laws step up, especially if Devere gets injuried.

Where's the Hotel Bristol??

Finally, some thoughtful coverage of the Phoenix start to the season in Stuff. Wellington Phoenix burning questions: How will they go from their base in Wollongong? | Stuff.co.nz

Finally, some thoughtful coverage of the Phoenix start to the season in Stuff. Wellington Phoenix burning questions: How will they go from their base in Wollongong? | Stuff.co.nz

Just wanting to know what on-line or other viewing platforms of the Phoenix games one can use.

Decided to drop Sky Sport to support my team's return to the Premier League after 16 long years on SparkSport.

Sky won't allow one to pay-per-view, they'd rather one paid for a whole weeks sport to watch one game!!

If anyone can help out it would be really appreciated.

You could download a VPN and set it to a country that doesn’t have a tv deal for the a-league, eg Ireland etc. and then watch the game on the MyFootball YouTube channel for free. 

Have thought about doing this from the UK but does anyone know if you watch a full match after it's been played as Nix games are usually on during work time here?

Have thought about doing this from the UK but does anyone know if you watch a full match after it's been played as Nix games are usually on during work time here?

Here's the rest of Stuff's coverage of the coming Wellington Phoenix season – look out for some more here in the next 24 hours.

Comeback kid James McGarry keen to make a name for himself at Wellington Phoenix

The wait is not over for new Wellington Phoenix marquee signing Tomer Hemed

Luke DeVere heading a collective effort to replace Steven Taylor at the Phoenix

Alex Rufer adjusting to change of scenery in eighth year with Wellington Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix young guns Ben Waine and Sam Sutton ready for the challenge ahead

El capitán: Mexican star Ulises Dávila to lead Wellington Phoenix in A-League

All Whites midfielder Clayton Lewis ready to rise again with Wellington Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix burning questions: How will they go from their base in Wollongong?

Three more stories from Stuff to read ahead of tonight's match. More coverage than you'll find anywhere else, except maybe the Illawarra Mercury.

Ulises Dávila wants to create history after staying loyal to Wellington Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix aim to hit the ground running in first game against Sydney FC

Can Wellington Phoenix make the A-League finals without playing in New Zealand?

Any Christchurch based fans - give the "Christchurch Phoenix Supporters Club" page a like on facebook for match day gatherings etc.

We'll be getting together at Robbie's Riccarton Sports bar tonight if anyone is in the Christchurch area wanting to watch the game tonight. 

All Welcome!

Come on the Nix - please start strong. 

After months of uncertainty, the Wellington Phoenix will finally experience some normality when they walk on to WIN Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The club has experienced an unprecedented preparation for this years A-League campaign. The Phoenix were left without a home before relocating to Wollongong as they adapted to sporting life in a COVID-19 world. However, all of those concerns will be temporarily pushed to the side as they focus on football. It will be a tough opening assignment as they meet defending champions Sydney FC. But head coach Ufuk Talay said the Phoenix were ready for the challenge. Were very excited to start our campaign, he said. Its very important that we start off strong and what a great occasion to play last years champions. The boys will definitely be up for it.

Talay doesnt exaggerate when he emphasises the importance of starting well. Wellington dropped their first four games last season before bouncing back to eventually finish in a club-high third position. The Phoenix met Sydney FC three times in 2019/20, with the Sky Blues taking the honours twice while the sides also played out a 2-2 draw. However, Talays men had gained plenty of confidence from each contest. We probably played our best games against Sydney. We let them go a couple of times when we had them by the throat, he said. I dont think I want to start the way we did last season with the four losses. It makes life a lot tougher towards the back end with the points you give away, so its very important that we start stronger this year and get some points on the board. When I look at those four games, if we had got at least seven points, we probably could have finished in a higher place than we did. For us, its very important this year that we take the opportunities we create. We created a lot of scoring opportunities last season and I think if we can be a bit more clinical this season, whether its against Sydney or any other team, well be heading in the right direction.

The Phoenix have been based in Wollongong since arriving for a pre-season camp in early November. Three weeks later, it was confirmed the team would play all home games at WIN Stadium this season. Last month, the club expressed a willingness to return to Wellington if a travel bubble opened up between Australia and New Zealand. Talay said the club was also closely monitoring the recent COVID outbreak in Sydneys Northern Beaches. The players are being very vigilant, we need to be smart and follow protocols. Things were going great and theres been a little bit of a hiccup again with COVID, he said. But the main thing is the games are going on with a certain percentage of crowds coming in, which I think the players enjoy and the crowds enjoy. We just need to be very smart in how we do things and take things day by day as they do change.