Melbourne Victory will head to Sydney FC desperate for their second A-League win of the season but desperately understrength as the burden of international football takes its toll.
There are no international breaks this season but the A-League moved Victory's clash with the Sky Blues, who had the bye in round five, from Saturday to Sunday to allow Rhyan Grant and Andrew Redmayne to return for the Big Blue - while Kosta Barbarouses turned down a New Zealand call-up.
But it comes as little comfort to Marco Kurz, who said he will be without Storm Roux (New Zealand), Kenny Athiu (South Sudan), Elvis Kamsoba (Burundi) and Thomas Deng (Olyroos).
The call-ups compound the injury-enforced absences of Andrew Nabbout, Robbie Kruse and TIm Hoogland.
"Kenny's away, Elvis is away, Storm Roux is away and Thomas Deng is away - maybe another national player ... asks for another one and then we have five away - I have no idea," Kurz said.
"They changed the time to Sunday so that the players from Sydney are ready. It's fact, it's not a joke.
"They changed from Saturday to Sunday (so) that then the Australian national players are back for Sydney."
Kurz spoke after Ola Toivonen's heroics were required to secure a 1-1 draw with Wellington Phoenix.
Wellington took the lead via a 5th-minute Ulises Davila penalty - after a VAR review ruled Toivonen had handballed in his area - before the Victory captain levelled with a brilliant solo effort in the 66th minute.
The draw saw Ufuk Talay's side earn their first point - something the new manager said could be used to launch into the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Melbourne City went outright top of the table with a 3-1 victory over Central Coast. Curtis Good, Adrian Luna and Rostyn Griffiths put the result beyond doubt before Jordan Murray pulled back a consolation goal for the Mariners.
Having scored six goals and earned as many points in two games without Jamie Maclaren, Erick Mombaerts' side will next travel to Brisbane to take on the Roar.
Robbie Fowler's Brisbane have failed to take a win - and largely struggled to score - from their opening four games.
That continued against Adelaide, when Riley McGree snared a late winner - off the back of some fine work from James Troisi - to earn the Reds a 1-0 win at home on Sunday evening.
On Saturday night, Western United delivered their second comeback win in as many weeks with a 2-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in Geelong.
Mitch Duke opened the scoring for the Wanderers, but United hit back through an Andrew Durante header, before Kwabena Appiah-Kubi scored the winner.
The win saw United leap to second on the table, with the Wanderers dropping to third ahead of their bye.
Elsewhere, Perth Glory's scratchy start to the season continued with a 1-1 draw in Newcastle on Saturday, with Diego Castro scrapping a late equaliser after Jason Hoffman opened the scoring for the Jets.
Australian Associated Press
