Waitakere United v Auckland City
Fred Taylor Park, 2pm today
Referee: Kevin Stoltenkamp
Waitakere United against Auckland City is as close as it gets in this part of the world to those big city clashes which bring out the best, or worst, in rival soccer fans.
In five-and-a-half seasons of the New Zealand Football Championship the inter-city rivalry has been the one that has captured the attention and, in the end, found the team to go on and fly the New Zealand/Oceania flag at Fifa's Club World Cup.
Chapter 26 in the saga will be written out west this afternoon. While the winner of the game will not be assured of anything - other than brief bragging rights - the match at Fred Taylor Park could go a long way to deciding the championship outcome and with it an early ticket to next season's O-League.
Visiting Auckland City go into the match as warm favourites.
In a sometimes hectic season, their only loss (0-3) was to Mexican champions Atlante FC at the Club World Cup.
Their only other dropped points were in a 0-0 away draw to Otago early in the NZFC season and 1-1 to Waitakere United in their November O-League game at Fred Taylor Park.
In 13 matches, City have scored 31 goals and conceded 11 - five at the Club World Cup.
Often the wins have come with a late flurry as their fitness and organisation has taken over.
While City hold a decisive advantage in head-to-heads, their 2-1 win at Kiwitea St in late November was their first NZFC regular season triumph since that dramatic 4-3 victory in December 2006 when referee Neil Fox took centre stage in flashing 19 cards.
In their three games since the Christmas break it has been business as usual for City. Three wins - 10 goals to two - and the championship lead ...
Across town it has been a different story.
A battling 3-2 win over bottom-of-the-table Waikato FC, a horror 4-0 loss in Christchurch and a heart-stopping last-second 3-2 win over YoungHeart Manawatu a week ago.
"Our form has been patchy of late," admitted Waitakere coach Neil Emblen. "Apart from November's away game against Manawatu we haven't turned in what I would call a complete 90 minutes. There have been distractions, like losing Benjamin Totori and Roy Krishna at times and injuries to myself and Jason Rowley but they can't be used as excuses.
"I see this game as the chance to put out what I consider our best XI and win what is a very important game. If we can't win this, the NZFC season will be all but gone. That might be the time to give youth a chance.
"Already in my own mind I am starting to tick off players who we should look to retain next season. Already we have given 10 of our younger players game time. Maybe that is where the future lies."
But Emblen is not giving up just yet.
"We have been the minor premiers for the past two seasons and would dearly like a third. But the reality is that if we lose we will be playing for second. We had a meeting this week and there was a real feeling of this game being make or break for our season."
Both teams are expected to be at full strength with the only regular player from either side in doubt being Waitakere's Aaron Scott who was left with a "dead leg" after the win over Manawatu.
In the other key game, third-placed Otago are at home to Team Wellington (fourth) today with the winner consolidating their play-off hopes.
HEAD TO HEAD
United v City
* Played: 25
* NZFC (regular season): Auckland City 8 wins, Waitakere 5 wins*, 2 drawn.
* NZFC grand finals: Auckland City 3 wins, Waitakere 0 wins.
* O-League: Auckland City 1 win, Waitakere 1 win, 5 drawn.
* In 2006 Auckland City won 1-0 but were later stripped of the points for playing an ineligible player and victory handed to Waitakere.
