Ufuk Talay and Alen Stajcic will look to return to winning ways on Saturday night as Talay prepares for a fixture where Sydney FC will be gunning for three points against Perth Glory.
The Sky Blues new Head Coach, Talay represented Sydney FC 59 times, scoring six goals between 2006 and 2008.
He won the Championship once as a player and once as an Assistant Coach.
Meanwhile, Stajcic was the Sky Blues’ Women’s inaugural Head Coach and remains one of the club’s most successful having been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In what will be the two coaches’ fifth time playing each other, Ufuk Talay will want to continue his winning form against Stajcic as he has beaten the Perth Glory coach three consecutive times.
It is clear that Talay has made an impact on the pitch for the Sky Blues, with his first game in the competition seeing Sydney FC defeat Adelaide United 5-1.
Talay has sparked the Sky Blues attack, pushing the likes of Jaiden Kucharski and Joe Lolley higher and spreading the ball wider, which has caused headaches for the defence and attacking flow of their opposing sides.
Stajcic will come up against his former club for the first time since 2021 when he coached the Central Coach Mariners with the score ending 2-2 at Central Coast Stadium.
This season, Stajcic has only managed to secure four points, with a win against Central Coast Mariners, a draw to the Newcastle Jets and no points on the road contributing to their eighth-place position.
Last week, Stajcic’s side had opportunities against Brisbane but the Roar’s pressure saw the Glory concede two goals, which caused them to drop points for a second consecutive week.
In the Izuzu-UTE A-League, the Sydney FC Hall of Famer has won 31{3302a4a97df51ab71377f818b10857871066f471bffc8f5d55c900040a563c05} of games, whilst Talay has won 40{3302a4a97df51ab71377f818b10857871066f471bffc8f5d55c900040a563c05} of matches.
Talay has also got a goals-per-game average of 2.0, whilst Stajcic has an average of 1.1 goals scored.
Before coming to Perth, Stajcic coached 64 games in the W-League with Sydney FC from 2008-2014, which saw the Sky Blues secure two Premierships and two Championships.
Stajcic has also coached Australia which saw him lead the Matildas to their highest-ever ranking (5th) and most recently coached the Philippines Women’s National Team, where he secured their debut qualification and maiden win in a World Cup Finals.
With both coaches coming off a defeat, they will be looking to get back to winning ways and begin a charge towards the top of the ladder.
Match Details:
Sydney FC v Perth Glory
Izuzu-UTE A-League Round Six
Saturday 2nd December 2023
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45PM AEDT
Gates Open: 6:45PM AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramount+ & 10BOLD
Purchase tickets here
