Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick says the club has had no luck in getting their first round fixture against Melbourne City postponed.

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The Wellington Phoenix tried in vain to get their first game of the season rescheduled.

The home game against Melbourne City on October 8 falls in an international playing window, with the club expected to be without five of their All Whites as they play against Mexico and the United States in North America.

GETTY IMAGES Wellington Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick says attempts to move their first round match against Melbourne City have been unsuccessful.

Those players will also struggle to be fit when they meet up with the squad in Perth to play the Glory on October 16.

Most top leagues around the world stop for the window, but the A-League does not and Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick said Football Federation Australia had refused a request for the game to be postponed.

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GETTY IMAGES Kosta Barbarouses will be away with the All Whites when the Wellington Phoenix play their season opener against Melbourne City.

"If it's going to be fixed it has to be fixed now and it would be great if the game could be postponed, but we're having no success with the FFA on that matter.

"Our general manager [David Dome] has spoken with them, but we've had no success in changing the game or postponing it."

Merrick said he was fully supportive of the All Whites and would not hold any players back from playing for them, even if it did hurt his team.

"To have two games in the United States against quality opposition is great for the All Whites and Anthony Hudson.

"Where it does leave us is in a very compromised position, because the team we had out against Melbourne City [in preseason on September 11], that starting XI we've lost five players from.

"I can't name the players because it hasn't been officially announced, but they've given us the heads up that we'll lose five players from the starting XI.

"I feel as though it's very tough as it's the first two games of the season and it's only going to get worse."

Worse is right.

Merrick left out Andrew Durante, Kosta Barbarouses, Michael McGlinchey and Tom Doyle for the Phoenix's most recent preseason win over Central Coast Mariners over the weekend, suggesting he expects them to be out for round one.

Goalkeeper Glen Moss and defender Louis Fenton are also in the All Whites mix, while Merrick expected even more players to be with the All Whites for the next round of World Cup qualifying in Oceania on November 12 and 15.

"I'm tipping that some Europe-based All Whites won't be back for that game, so we could lose six or seven, and then we'll lose Roy Krishna [playing for Fiji] as well, so we could have eight players out.

"That makes life very difficult for us, but it also compromises the competition because there is no doubt that other teams will say 'well they played them when they had half a team, now we're playing them when they're a full team', and that's going to happen four or five times this year."

Melbourne City's marquee man Tim Cahill is likely to miss the round one fixture while playing for Australia, providing he is selected, which Merrick said was disappointing as he would have boosted their attendance.

The Phoenix continue their preseason against the Central Coast Mariners in Nelson on Sunday.