The Wellington Phoenix are gearing up to play in front of a sold-out Sky Stadium for their home second leg semifinal against Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
Nothing could separate the sides as they battled to a goalless draw in Melbourne on Sunday but the Phoenix are hoping the “12th man” can give the side a boost as they look to make club history and reach their first final.
The Phoenix boast a plethora of young talent who haven’t experienced a match of this magnitude before.
Ben Old said he is trying to stay grounded in the biggest week of his football career and wants to use the expected sellout crowd as extra motivation to create history.
“We've earned it and the fans have been so good, I can't wait for the moment,” said Old.
“I wouldn't have expected this to happen for us, we’ve only been in this position once before.
Old was nine last time the Phoenix made the semifinals - they were eliminated in extra time by Perth in 2012.
Tickets are going fast, with Phoenix general manager David Dome expecting the match to sell out today.
“To be able to have it sold out and hopefully create a bit of history, I couldn’t think of anything better,” said Old.
Old expects the match to be a “cagey affair”, after he got a taste of what finals football feels like last weekend.
“I think it’s going to come down to those small moments, it could be a set piece or a mistake.”
The Phoenix grabbed a late winner the last time they faced Victory at Sky Stadium with a goal in the 95th minute off the back of an outstanding set piece delivery from Oskar van Hattum.
Attacking midfielder Bozhidar Kraev said he thinks off the back of the draw, the Phoenix are favourites for Saturday’s match.
“I think it's a good result for us, everything is in our hands and no disrespect to Melbourne, the chances are in our favour,” said Kraev.
“The crowd, the home stadium, that's what makes the difference.”
Club football in Wellington is likely to be rescheduled to allow players, officials and volunteers to get to the match.
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