Soccer: For a serious tilt at the title...

Andrew Durante. Photo / Getty Images

The Wellington Phoenix are among the favourites for the A-League title but three things need to happen if they are to be contenders and not pretenders:

1 Paul Ifill & Andrew Durante

Wellington look to have a stronger squad than last season with the addition of the likes of Dylan Macallister and Jade North but two players are crucial if they are to succeed in 2010-11. Paul Ifill and Andrew Durante played all 30 games last season (Durante played every minute of every game) and it's hoped they will remain injury-free this time around. Ifill was brilliant last season, scoring 13 goals and setting up nine others, while Durante was the main reason Wellington had the second-meanest defence in the league.

2 Home, sweet home

It's extraordinary - the Phoenix haven't lost in Wellington since November 2008. That's 19 A-League games and they can also add the scalp of South American giants Boca Juniors. Teams hate playing in Wellington; they hate the weather and can find the Cake Tin with its bare-chested fans intimidating. The Phoenix will need to continue that run because their away form is patchy. Last season, they won three, drew five and lost eight on the road.

3 World Cup fever

The World Cup might have finished a month ago but there's still a lingering afterglow in the capital. The All Whites players came back on a high, along with coach Ricki Herbert, and it's spread among the rest of the squad quicker than chicken pox at a kindergarten. Rather than look for an antidote, they will hope it lingers for quite some time.