Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo has revealed the club’s Members and fans will get a first glimpse of some new players in Sky Blue when they begin their Hahn Australia Cup 2026 campaign away to Bayswater SC on Tuesday night.
The Sky Blues boss suggested recent arrivals Gabriel Popovic, Jake Hollman, newly signed centre-half Ethan Dyer, fellow Academy graduate Sam Lancaster and Japanese defender Takahiro Sekine are in contention, with the final decisions to be made closer to kick-off.
“They’ve been great so far and they’ve trained well,” Kisnorbo said.
“We’ve also got some younger players we’ve introduced into the squad, so it’s an exciting time around the club.
“It’s a great blend now with youth and experience, and that’s what we want. We want to improve and get better, and I think the squad is developing in that way.”
The Sky Blues are expected to be without reigning A-League Goalkeeper of the Year Harrison Devenish-Meares, who has undergone a minor abdominal procedure.
Kisnorbo confirmed the goalkeeper is recovering well and should return within the next few weeks, while praising the healthy competition for places with Gus Hoefsloot and young Sandy Zaverdinos.
“Harrison’s had a little procedure which sort of needed to happen,” he continued.
“He’s already done that and he’s on the way to recovery. The operation was successful and he’ll be back within a couple of weeks to prepare for the start of the A-League season.
“But he has competition. Gus is around and we’ve got young Sandy so there are spots available at the moment and it’s great to see because you always want competition.”
Tuesday’s tie marks Sydney FC’s first competitive fixture of the new season, with the Australia Cup once again offering the chance to lift silverware and secure qualification for the AFC Champions League Two.
“I’m sure the boys are raring to play instead of run,” Kisnorbo said.
“It’s a trophy at the end of the day and a potential route into Asia. A cup’s a cup and a competitive game is a game, so we’re looking forward to Tuesday.”
Despite Bayswater competing outside the A-League, Kisnorbo expects a stern examination.
“They’re quite good in their competition, but every game is hard. It doesn’t matter who you play against. We’ll concentrate on ourselves, but we know it’s our first competitive game and it’s going to be a hard game.”
Sydney FC heads into the clash following a positive 4-0 hit-out against NWS Spirit, where Gabriel Popovic, Tiago Quintal, Marin France and Mathias Macallister were among the goals.
“It was a great little hit-out before the cup game,” Kisnorbo said. “We worked on consistency and cohesion, and we’ll use the cup game to continue improving as we build towards the start of the season.”
Sky Blues kick off at Frank Drago Reserve tomorrow night at 8.30pm (AEST) / 6.30pm (local)
