Nick Ward is hoping he can put in a good shift when his former club comes to town tonight.

The Wellington Phoenix midfielder will face the Melbourne Victory for the third time since he left the two-time A-League champions in September and is motivated to help his side produce a winning performance.

"You always want to play good against your old team and I've got a lot of really good mates there so it'll be a good game to play in," Ward told the Dominion Post.

Last time the two clubs met, they fought out a 2-2 draw at Westpac Stadium, but this time Ward is full of hope that the Phoenix can get a much-needed win in front of their home fans.

"Our home games are always important to us because the travel is always difficult," he added.

"We played good against Victory last time. They had the better of the first half and then we came out and probably could have won it in the end. We'll be looking to do the same thing and then kick on."