"Obviously we went there on the back of two wins and got in there with a great deal of confidence and we didn't get the result that we wanted," Phoenix assistant coach Chris Greenacre told Radio Sport.
But the good thing about playing twice within five days is that you can't dwell on your losses and Wellington know that beating the Wanderers will be a stiff ask.
Greenacre said there were some positive signs from the game against the Victory despite the defeat.
"We'll just tweak a couple of little bits that we feel, looking back, didn't work and we'll reassess."
Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick shuffled his starting side for the game against Melbourne but the changes didn't work out as Louis Fenton was exposed at right back, while Wellington failed to take control of the midfield, which is something Merrick has demanded his players improve on.
The Phoenix returned to Wellington with no injury concerns and it will be interesting to see if Merrick decides to reinstate Tom Doyle as part of the defence. Doyle was benched on Monday as Manny Muscat shifted to left back to accommodate Fenton.
Doyle, who was the find of the pre-season for Wellington, had made a mixed start to the A-League season but it seemed harsh to drop him after only three games.
Striker Jeremy Brockie was the other player who fell out of the starting lineup on Monday and the All White is yet to get on the score sheet this season.
Nathan Burns and Michael McGlinchey have been in fine touch up front for Wellington in recent weeks but Brockie has struggled to find his niche.
Merrick added Roly Bonevacia to the front three on Monday but if he wanted to change things again he could look at the likes of Kenny Cunningham or Roy Krishna to provide an attacking edge.
Tonight's game will mark the first time the Phoenix have played at home on a Friday night in more than two years; the last occurrence was when they beat Sydney FC 3-2 in the playoffs in March, 2012.
