Soccer: Phoenix looking for home-crowd help

Andrew Durante wants the Phoenix fans to get behind the team tomorrow. Photo / Getty Images

A sold-out crowd can make all the difference for the Wellington Phoenix in their A-League soccer elimination semifinal against the Newcastle Jets, says captain Andrew Durante.

The Phoenix's fortress of Westpac Stadium - they are unbeaten there in 18 matches stretching back to October last year - will be at full capacity with more than 34,000 set to cram in tomorrow.

Durante and fellow-defender Jon McKain have spent the past week on international duty with the Australian national team, while coach Ricki Herbert and players Tim Brown, Ben Sigmund, Tony Lochhead and Leo Bertos turned out for New Zealand in their 2-0 friendly loss to Mexico in Los Angeles on Thursday.

While Durante and McKain are back in Wellington and training with the remainder of the squad, the New Zealand contingent won't return to the capital until this morning.

But Durante reckons a big, loud crowd will be just what the players need to motivate them.

"It's obviously not ideal that they're not back until the day before the game but they're professionals and they know what they have to do to look after themselves," Durante said.

"The key is we're at Westpac Stadium. We've shown how good we are at home and a sell-out crowd is going to be amazing. Whether the Kiwi boys come back a little bit sore or tired, when they step out on Sunday afternoon the adrenalin will be pumping. With the crowd behind us that'll lift them to another level and they'll forget any pain and fatigue - they'll ride the game out on pure emotion."

The match in Los Angeles was an important one for Sigmund, in particular. The All Whites centre back has had little game time since copping a suspension earlier in the season. But with McKain suspended for tomorrow's match, Sigmund will start alongside Durante against the Jets.

"It's great for Siggy," Durante said.

"He needed to get a full game under his belt before such a big match, especially after missing quite a few games during the season. He'll be better for the run and he'll be raring to go."

Durante is also raring to go, having just returned from training with the Socceroos. He made the bench in the Aussies' 1-0 win against Indonesia but didn't get on the park to get his first cap for his country.

"It was an intense camp but I'm feeling pretty fresh and I can't wait for Sunday. All my energy is being focused on this game and I'm quietly confident we'll get the result, especially in front of a sell-out crowd."

PHOENIX V NEWCASTLE

Westpac Stadium, 4pm tomorrow live SS1

Wellington Phoenix: Andrew Durante (c), Liam Reddy, Reece Crowther, Manny Muscat, Tony Lochhead, Diego, Tim Brown, Leo Bertos, Paul Ifill, Chris Greenacre, Michael Ferrante, Daniel, Troy Hearfield, Adrian Caceres, Eugene Dadi, Vince Lia, Ben Sigmund, Costa Barbarouses (two to be omitted)

Newcastle Jets: Matt Thompson (c), Ben Kennedy, Dion Shaw, Adam D'Apuzzo, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Ljubo Milicevic, Ben Kantarovski, Jin-Hyung Song, Sasho Petrovski, Tarek Elrich, Jobe Wheelhouse, Sean Rooney, Kaz Patafta, Labinot Haliti, Ali Abbas, Mirjan Pavlovic

Referee: Chris Beath

- NZPA