KEY POINTS:
The Wellington Phoenix have remained in touch with the playoffs without even taking the field.
Ricki Herbert's side were aided by the Melbourne Victory's 3-0 defeat
of the fourth-placed Central Coast Mariners on Friday night, meaning the Phoenix are still three points behind the Mariners with a game in hand.
That game is today's must-win home fixture against Adelaide United, a team the Phoenix have not beaten in five attempts, before they finish their regular season against Melbourne on Friday night.
Central Coast host Adelaide in their final game but have the advantage of a markedly superior goal difference which will put them above Wellington if they finish on the same points.
The Phoenix have a tendency to surprise when written off and disappoint when people get excited about them, so a win against Adelaide is not out of the question - despite the fact they were hammered 6-1 by Adelaide when the teams last met.
Wellington will have to do it without skipper Andrew Durante (hamstring) and Troy Hearfield (suspended) and there is also doubt over Brazilian midfielder Daniel (knee).
Countering that is the fact it could be the last home match for striker Shane Smeltz and goalkeeper Glen Moss, who are off to Gold Coast and Melbourne respectively next season, and the retiring Vaughan Coveny.
"We will use that as motivation," Herbert said. "These guys were on board from day one, so I'm going to take some of that and harness it in the right area. It could be a powerful thing.
"We have two games to go and we are still a chance, so we will be going for it. We are at home and we have been decent at home, winning five times."
If the Phoenix miss out on a top-four playoffs spot, they should look no further than a paltry one point from three games with Perth Glory as a factor.
They have had the best season of any New Zealand team playing in the A-League - most wins, most points - even with two games remaining but the cruel reality is it could have been so much better.
The Glory are not bottom of the table - a position held by defending champions Newcastle - and have a decent home record but they have the worst defensive record in the league.
Furthermore, heading into last month's match in Wellington, they had not picked up a point away from home all season, let alone won.
The Phoenix could only draw that match 1-1, leaving them to play catch-up on the top four.
