Melbourne Victory are no strangers to Sydney FC, having played against the Sky Blues in their very first Isuzu UTE A-League match all the way back in 2005, as Dwight Yorke headlined the Sydney FC attack alongside club legends such as Clint Bolton, Terry McFlynn and current Head Coach, Steve Corica.
This time however, Melbourne Victory arrive at Allianz Stadium with a new squad and some big names. We take a look at some of the key attacking players from both sides, ahead of the Round One clash.
Luis Nani
The Portuguese superstar lands in Australia with a hefty footballing CV having played at some of the best leagues in the world including the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and MLS. He has lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy with Manchester United and also won the EURO 2016 championship with his national side, Portugal.
The winger has found the net a few times in pre-season against NPL opposition and many Victory fans will be hoping that he can increase their goal tally from last season.
Robert Mak
The Slovakian International joins Sydney FC with a high pedigree having just won the Hungarian Premier League with Ferencvaros and scoring at the delayed Euro 2020. He is a winger who knows the way to goal and will be looking to continue his trophy streak with the Sky Blues and Steve Corica.
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Nick D’Agostino
The Australian forward broke onto the A-League scene at Brisbane Roar and after two seasons moved to Perth Glory. It was there that he set the league alight and moved to Victoria to join Tony Popovic’s side. D’Agostino took full advantage of his chance at Victory and has found the net 10 times in 26 league appearances.
Affectionally known as Daggers, the Australian has earnt himself one cap for his national team and if he continues his form from last season, is well within his rights to earn another call up to the Socceroos.
Joe Lolley
The Englishman arrives at Sydney FC having just helped Nottingham Forest secure promotion to the Premier League. With over 230 Championship appearances, the attacking player is no stranger to big matches and joins the Sky Blues at the peak of his powers. Lolley will be hoping to hit the ground running in Australia like he has throughout the years in England.
Tomi Juric
Juric is a name familiar to Sydney FC fans after he played for the Red and Black of Western Sydney Wanderers during his time in Australia in 2013-2015. Following this, he moved overseas before returning to Adelaide United and then Macarthur FC where he found the net ten times in 26 appearances for both clubs over two seasons.
Juric has now linked up with his former coach in Tony Popovic and despite being one of the older members of the Victory squad, Tomi will be utilising all of his experience to assist Victory in their quest for another A-League title. With 41 Socceroos caps under his belt, the striker will be a real asset to his previous boss.
Adam Le Fondre
Affectionally known as ALF, Adam Le Fondre has seen and done it all in world football. With over 650 career club appearances and 267 goals, he knows how to hit the back of the net. Coming into his 5th season at Sydney FC, Le Fondre has never played a match at Allianz Stadium but will be hoping that he finds the goal-scoring at Moore Park as easy as he did at Netsrata Jubilee.
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Ben Folami
The young winger has set the A-League alight and despite being only 23, has the potential to be a dangerous player for Victory this season. The former Sydney resident moved to the UK from an early age before moving to Melbourne Victory in 2020. After a highly successful season for Victory, Folami was called up to the Australian National Team for a World Cup Qualifier against Japan.
The Australian is a key part of Popovic’s plans this season and will be one to watch on October 8th.
Anthony Caceres
The attacking midfielder has become a key part of Sydney FC’s attack in recent years. The Central Coast Mariners junior joined the Sky Blues after joining Manchester City and being loaned out to the UAE and then Melbourne City. Coming into his fifth season in Sky Blue, Caceres had one of his best seasons on record, picking up the Sydney FC Player of the Year and scoring five goals from 24 matches. A fan favourite, Caceres will be key to what Steve Corica hopes to produce this season.
