Closing out the weekend’s football action, Sydney FC will travel to Victoria to take on Western United on Sunday afternoon. Last weekend, Sydney FC returned to the stunning new Allianz Stadium and put on a brilliant performance against a strong Melbourne Victory side however they were unlucky not to come away with at least a point on a rain-soaked evening in Sydney, losing 3-2.
There were some impressive signs from Steve Corica’s new formation which saw the likes of Joe Lolley and Robert Mak find success on the wings, with the latter opening the scoring of the Big Blue with a composed finish into the corner. This weekend, Joe Lolley will be hoping to get his first goal, after his performance on Saturday warranted one, despite him hitting the up-right in the first half.
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For this upcoming match, Sydney FC will be without their two centre backs with Jack Rodwell still ruled out with an abductor injury, and Alex Wilkinson unable to recover from his groin strain which saw him depart last week’s action at half time. James Donachie will be looking to continue his goal-scoring form and whether paired alongside Rhyan Grant or Aaron Gurd, will have a clean sheet in mind.
Western United come into this match following a difficult evening last Friday where they were beaten by a good Melbourne City team with a Jamie McLaren second half goal, adding to Leo Lacroix’s earlier own goal. Western did pull one back in second half stoppage time from Nicloas Milanovic but what will be of concern to Head Coach John Aloisi is their lack of defensive cohesion which saw McLaren gifted his goal and Jamie Young called into action more than he would’ve hoped.
The Green and Black lost Tomoki Imai in the first half of their clash and have since confirmed that the defender will require surgery on an AC joint, ruling him out for this clash.
Players to Watch
Robert Mak – Sydney FC
Robert Mak made history last weekend when he found space inside the box and scored the first goal at the new Allianz Stadium. The Slovakian impressed many Sydney FC fans on his debut and arrives at the club with a big pedigree having played in Europe for a number of years. Mak was always dangerous in attack and created plenty of opportunities for himself and his team-mates and was unlucky not to have gotten on the scoresheet again when he flashed one inches wide of the up-right.
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This weekend provides the perfect opportunity for Mak to again show what he can do in Australia as he looks to add to his goal tally and challenge for the Golden Boot.
Jamie Young – Western United
Jamie Young had a very impressive season at Western United last season and was pivotal to their title winning credentials, keeping his side in the game at critical times. Last week, he picked up where he left off, making seven saves in the match against Melbourne Victory. Young received the golden glove award last season with ten clean sheets and if Sydney FC want to beat the shot-stopper, they know that they will have to work hard to do so.
Young has plenty of A-League experience, having already played in 175 domestic matches since 2014 and is no stranger to Sydney FC, but doesn’t have the best record against the Sky Blues. Personally, he has came up against Sydney FC 19 times, winning only three and losing ten.
Match Details
Western United v Sydney FC
Isuzu UTE A-League
Sunday 16th October 2022
5:00pm Kick Off
AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC
Broadcast Live: Paramount+
Tickets: Click Here
