Football: Muscat to miss Roar clash

Manny Muscat has been ruled out of Sunday's match against the Brisbane Roar. Photo / Getty

Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick has been given another injury headache with Manny Muscat set to miss Sunday's match against the Roar in Brisbane.

The defender has a shoulder problem, which he sustained in last Saturday's 2-1 win over the Glory in Perth. The ailment isn't thought to be serious and Muscat may only miss one week.

Muscat's withdrawal means Louis Fenton will likely slide across to left back with Michael Boxall returning to the side at right back; such an arrangement was employed during the 2-0 win over Adelaide two weeks ago.

In a spot of good news for Merrick, Nathan Burns (hip) and Alex Rodriguez (hamstring), who missed the game in Perth, will return this week and should move back in to the starting side.

"There's a lot of life about the place, everyone wants to make himself available," Merrick said.

Such an attitude is a by-product of sitting atop the A-League's standings.

"There's no doubt the confidence is high, which boosts morale, which means training sessions are very vocal and loud," Merrick said.

"Now the tough job is to stay where we are and try to hang on to this lead. We've got the players, it really comes down to confidence and taking our chances and it all starts here on the training ground."

After their trip to Brisbane, the Phoenix will host Sydney FC on Sunday, March 29, which shapes as a tricky contest as Wellington may be shorn of at least seven players due to international commitments.

The Sydney clash is inside a Fifa window, which the A-League doesn't observe with a break in the schedule, so Socceroo Nathan Burns and All Whites Boxall, Fenton, Tom Doyle, Michael McGlinchey, Tyler Boyd and Joel Stevens could all be out next weekend.

Midfielder Roly Bonevacia has turned down the opportunity to represent Curacao, after the world's 160th-ranked nation, which he qualifies for through his parents, reached out to select him for matches against Montserrat.

Bonevacia is a former Dutch youth international and Merrick said his decision to stay in Wellington would help the Phoenix but the 23-year-old hasn't closed the door on representing Curacao in the future.

"He hasn't decided whether he's going to switch or not," Merrick said.

Meanwhile, despite a handful of pundits from across the Tasman questioning the presence of the Phoenix in the A-League, Merrick said he didn't want to get caught in a slanging match about the future of the club.

"I'm not going to buy in to the argument, other than I know the FFA are very happy with our football; where we are at. Teams respect us, we are competing well. We are a well-liked team in Australia. We are pulling in big crowds there, as well.

"I think the argument really comes down to a commercial one about television rights. It's really got nothing to do with the club, as well, or the way we are playing and it's certainly got nothing to do with the team."