Sydney FC return to Leichhardt Oval on Saturday afternoon to take on the Wellington Phoenix.

Steve Corica’s side are coming off the back of a 1-1 draw with ladder leaders Western United while the Phoenix secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Brisbane Roar on Wednesday at Leichhardt Oval.

Steve Corica’s side will have the luxury of not playing in the space of a few days and will be extra fresh for the match at Leichhardt Oval.

Corica will line up against his good friend in Ufuk Talay. Talay spent time as an assistant coach with Sydney FC under Corica and has won over many fans this year for what he has been able to achieve with the Phoenix in difficult circumstances.

Team news: Corica could look to play Kosta Barbarouses who has been making good progress towards returning to full training. Mustafa Amini who didn’t feature against Western United last weekend is being carefully monitored ahead of the game this week.

Max Burgess was impressive against Western United and he’ll be looking to start against another one of his former sides in the Wellington Phoenix.

Burgess could line-up against Reno Piscopo. The Wellington midfielder plays a similar role to Burgess and has caught the eye for ‘The Nix’ alongside his Mexican teammate Walter Sandoval.

How to watch: If you are not attending the match at Leichhardt Oval you can stream the match on Paramount+.

Last time: Sydney FC defeated Wellington Phoenix at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Round 5 of the 2021/2022 season. Goals from Elvis Kamsoba and Adam Le Fondre were enough to get the three points for Steve Corica’s side.