It'll be a battle of two franchises coming off stalemates last weekend although the Ernie Merrick-coached Phoenix's 1-1 result away against Sydney West Wanderers will carry more weight than the scoreless affair between the Jets and Perth Glory.
Last season, the Jets beat Phoenix 2-1 and, in doing so, ended a losing streak going back to 2007.
Ironically, Durante won A-League bragging rights with the Jets in 2007-08 after a three-season stint and, to top it off, was named man of the match.
"It was a big decision to move to Wellington," he says after switching allegiances to the Phoenix in 2008-09.
"It was a champion season so that made it more difficult but I felt it was the right time to move."
It helped that girlfriend/now wife Sarah, of Newcastle, supported his decision.
Oh, so who does Mrs Durante cheer for then?
"She's fully behind the Phoenix," he says, adding she won't come to the game but will watch the game on TV with their two daughters, Adalyn, 2, and 5-month-old Milana.
"I came here for two years and I'm still here six years later," says the player who made an even bigger decision to switch allegiances with his country of birth to represent the All Whites.
"I've played four games and I'm loving it," says Durante after New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert sounded him out.
The closest the dual citizenship holder came to playing for the Socceroos was in February 2010 when then coach Pim Verbeeki included him in the squad but game time proved elusive.
His oath of allegiance isn't a ceremonial gesture.
"I've always wanted to play internationally and I love New Zealand.
"Both my daughters were born here [Wellington] and I have property here so I'll be here for a long time," he says, attributing his assimilation into the capital city and franchise culture to Herbert and former owner Terry Serepisos.
In his debut 2008-09 season with the Phoenix, Durante helped Phoenix to the pre-season cup final, controversially losing on penalty kicks to Sydney FC.
He takes pride in belonging to the 2009-10 defence that conceded 29 goals from 27 matches, playing every minute of that season.
"We've had our ups and downs at the club and a change of ownership," he says, adding the new ownership, comprising seven Wellington businessmen, including board member Gareth Morgan, has brought stability and boosted crowds.
"Merrick's also a fantastic coach and he's brought a new brand of football very early," Durante says, highlighting the former Melbourne Victory title-winning coach's decision last Sunday that yielded a dramatic change from a defensive mindset to an attacking one.
It was his first A-League game this season after returning from the All Whites' tour abroad.
He sees tomorrow's game as an advantage with Australian oppositions finding it difficult to overcome Phoenix's good track record at home. "We want to get as high up [the ladder] as possible," says the 20 handicapper who played a round of golf at the Cape Kidnappers Golf Course with teammate Manny Muscat in May.
While the Jets may relish the balmy Bay weather, Durante reckons the Phoenix will thrive, too.
"I see it's nice weather so we can't wait to get up there.
"If we have a big crowd in Napier we might be able to come back there next year."
Durante says the Yellow Fever fan club is brilliant and will make a lot of noise.
Captaining the Phoenix can be stressful, but Durante says this year he's enjoying it as fellow centreback and All White Ben Sigmund and Vince Lia also bring leadership.
"As you get older, you read the game better as defenders.
"You play before it happens to stop players attacking," he says, adding as captain his responsibility extends to signalling when to press forward.
The man, known to teammates as Dura ("nothing fancy"), isn't contemplating hanging his boots any time soon.
"I love to play so I'm not putting an age on it [career] and will take it year by year."
Napier-based Jonathan Gould is the goalkeeping coach for the Phoenix.
Retired All White and Phoenix goalkeeper Mark Paston, who was born and raised in the Bay, is here for the Labour Day weekend as the ambassador of game-day sponsors, Revera, an IT company, which also employs him in Wellington.
