Ahead of the first competitive match of the season between Sydney FC and the Central Coast Mariners, we take a look at the movement of players between the two sides as they prepare to lock horns on Sunday the 13th of August at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
Looking at Steve Corica’s Sydney FC they have seen the departure of Rob Stanton as Assistant Coach who has moved to the Newcastle Jets and in his place, the Sky Blues have introduced David Zdrillic from Genoa in Italy. He has assimilated into the role perfectly after being announced earlier this week and will look to create a great partnership with Steve Corica moving forward.
On the players front, Sydney FC have seen the departures of Tom Heward-Belle, James Donachie, Paulo Retre, Diego Caballo and Adam Le Fondre along with the retirement of Alex Wilkinson who has moved into a new role in the coaching staff.
In came a number of new faces with Matty Scarcella, Mitch Glasson, Zac De Jesus and Gus Hoefsloot along with Nathan Amanatidis who arrived from Adelaide United as a speedy winger following a highly successful AFC U17 Asian Cup campaign.
With more spots to fill, the Sky Blues will look to get through this fixture and get their future arrivals some competitive game time.
As for the Central Coast Mariners, following their Isuzu UTE A-League Championship victory, they have had their squad raided. Golden Boot winner Jason Cummings has departed along with Beni Nkololo, Sam Silvera, Nectar Triantis, Moresche and Yaren Sozer.
These departures were a key part of the Yellow and Navy and their Grand Final victory, so it will be interesting to see how they adjust to the updated squad with new names incoming.
In their place they have brought in Nathan Paull, Trent Millard from Brisbane Roar and Doka from Brazil. Also returning to the club after previous stints is Alou Kuol, Noah Smith and Jing Reec. Nick Montgomery still leads the club in his third season at the Mariners.
With old and new faces, both clubs will be wanting to hit the ground running as they begin with a re-match of last year’s Round of 32 clash which went down to the wire.
Match Details
Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners
Australia Cup Round of 32
Sunday 13th August 2023
WIN Stadium, Wollongong, NSW
Kick Off: 3pm AEST
Gates Open: 2:30pm AEST
Broadcast Live: 10Play
Tickets: Click Here
