Why you should watch it
It's not every week you get the top two teams on the ladder playing each other. Wait, actually it is every week - at the moment, anyway, because last week Perth faced Melbourne Victory and fought out a 1-1 draw.
Phoenix jumped into second place via its 2-0 win over Adelaide United, so now we've got another top-of-the-table clash. It promises to be an absorbing encounter as well, just as the Victory-Perth clash was.
Perth has led the competition for 16 straight rounds. Can it hang on, or is it Phoenix's turn on top?
What happened last time they played
It was a while ago - Round 7 on 21 November. Perth won 2-1 at home, to go with its 2-1 win in Wellington in the opening round.
Wellington fell behind early, to a Danny De Silva goal, and when Andy Keogh made it 2-0 in the 60th minute it became a mountain too high for Phoenix to climb on the road.
It got one back when Roy Krishna converted a penalty in the 85th minute after Tyler Boyd was brought down inside the box, but that was all she wrote.
Glory held on to win despite having been reduced to 10-men when substitute Ruben Zadkovich was red-carded soon after the second goal - he lasted just 17 seconds before his brain snap.
Phoenix was minus one of its key players in Michael McGlinchey that day.
Key battles
The central defenders from both teams will have their work cut out but have proven to be up to the challenge so far this season.
Each time Perth striker Andy Keogh makes a run, Wellington's Andrew Durante and Ben Sigmund will have to make a split-second decision on which of the two is going to pick him up.
Assuming Joel Griffiths starts at striker for Phoenix in the absence of Burns, it will be a similar challenge for Glory pair Michael Thwaite and Dino Djulbic.
Nebojsa Marinkovic (Perth) and Roly Bonevacia (Wellington) are potential game-breakers coming out of the middle. One stroke of brilliance from either of them to set up, or score, a goal could make the difference.
Why Glory will win
It's way overdue. That wouldn't be a good pointer if it had been playing badly, but Perth has been playing reasonably well. It just hasn't been able to apply the killer blow recently.
Seven straight games without a win, although in the last four it has recorded draws against Adelaide United, Melbourne City, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. That's hardly shabby form.
Sometimes it just takes one special play to lift a team back to 100 per cent. Glory isn't far away from clicking into top gear. A huge game at home might prompt that.
Why Phoenix will win
It's a massive opportunity for a team that missed the finals the past two seasons. If it could take the lead with six rounds to go, it could aim at not only the Premiers' Plate but also a home run through the finals series. What a great moment that would be for a Kiwi club in the A-League.
Under those circumstances the motivation factor must be enormous for the players.
Talking pure football, Phoenix has the best defensive record in the competition this season and the second most potent attack.
It will rely on holding Perth out and then counter-attacking quickly on turnovers. It is very good at that and if Perth over-commits and loses possession, look out.
What the players are saying
Wellington captain Andrew Durante sid the team is playing for keeps.
"We play the game to win trophies and championships and there's no secret I'd like to finish top of the table," he said.
"The focus is on playing consistently well every week and making sure we play the brand of football Ernie (Merrick, the coach) wants us to play and results will look after themselves, but the fact is we're playing well enough to be where we are on the table. It's no fluke we're there.
"It has come from a lot of hard work and good play and a lot of goals, so while we would be happy with top four going into the finals, at the end of the day I want to win stuff as well and lift trophies."
Perth captain Thwaite said he knows from first-hand experience of playing under Merrick what to expect from his team.
"I have a lot of respect for Ernie and how he coaches," Thwaite said. "I know he's a very attacking coach, even though he's set up with some very good defensive players.
"I know from when he was my coach at Victory he likes his attacking players to funnel straight to goal, which you see them do.
"They're very dangerous like that. I really enjoy the way Wellington play. They're very similar to us where they've got that solid defensive balance but they're so threatening up in attack, so I think it's going to be a great game."
What the coaches are saying
Glory's Kenny Lowe said his players, having stayed on top for this long, are itching to go all the way and win the championship.
"The players want it badly," he said. "You can see it in the training sessions - and last weekend against Victory, who are a wonderful team. It showed how hungry we were.
"This is a big one because we are at home - and if we want to win the league, we have to start picking up some wins."
Merrick said it's business as usual for Phoenix, despite being without injured pair Burns and Alex Rodriguez.
"We're definitely in with the attitude we want to win," he said. "It's not a patched-up team, it's a good team and there's no excuses for not playing attacking football, better than we played against Adelaide."
The villain
Joel Griffiths doesn't mind wearing the black hat. He'll get in the face of the referee, the referee's assistants, opposition players - whatever it takes.
Griffiths has been given a fresh start by Phoenix after Newcastle Jets no longer wanted him and he's keen to prove he's not on the slide.
The hero
Goalkeeper Danny Vukovic has been in what many would suggest is career-best form for Glory recently. Impressive stuff considering he has played 221 A-League games and will equal Central Coast Mariners skipper John Hutchinson's all-time appearance record on Saturday.
He's stopping them high, low, from close range and from distance.
If he pulls off another screamer that makes the difference in a big game like this the fans might carry him off on their shoulders.
The match in numbers
The overall match record between these two teams is 50-50, with nine wins apiece and six draws, but in recent times Perth has had the advantage
Glory has not only won both clashes this season but is unbeaten in the last five, with three wins and two draws.
The last five games in Perth have resulted in three Perth wins, one Wellington win and a draw.
The verdict
The loss of star attacker Burns and midfielder Alex Rodriguez - both to injury - makes it difficult for Wellington.
It has displayed an ability to adjust to key players being out. The playing style doesn't change irrespective of who plays but against a team like Perth, you really need all of your big guns on deck.
Glory is difficult to play against. It gets back to fill the passing lanes and make it very difficult for the opposition to build up, while relying largely on the counter-attack itself.
Considering the player ins and outs, Perth is well placed to get a narrow win at home. A draw would be a good result for Wellington on the road.
