Sydney FC Head Coach Ufuk Talay has backed striker Patrick Wood to continue his rich vein of form against Macarthur FC in Saturday night’s big derby clash at Allianz Stadium.
Wood has scored the most goals in the fixture’s history having notched four goals past Macarthur’s posts, in eight games.
Talay believes Wood is right to get off the mark for the Isuzu-UTE A-League season this weekend.
“Patty’s done well previously against Macarthur, and if he gets his opportunity, hopefully this weekend he puts one away.
Talay continued: “That’s what we want him to do, we want our strikers to score goals, and capitalise.”
With 33 shots in last week’s win against Perth Glory, and only three finding their way into the net, clinical finishing is a top priority this weekend.
“One thing we definitely need to improve on is the quality of finishing,” Talay continued.
“We created a lot of chances against a good opponent, and I think we will create those opportunities again, I believe we just need to be composed and a lot more clinical.”
21-year old Wood says he’s up for this challenge.
“I’m not sure what it is, playing against Macarthur, but goals come and I love that, so I do look forward to playing them,” he said.
“Hopefully I repay him [Talay] this week with a couple goals.”.
Talay says Sydney FC will need to be wary of Macarthur’s resilience after their last game against Adelaide United when they scored two late goals in a 4-3 win.
Match Details
Sydney FC v Macarthur
Isuzu UTE A-League Round Seven
Saturday 9th December 2023
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45pm AEDT
Gates Open: 6:45pm AEDT
Tickets: Click Here
Broadcast Live: Paramount+ & 10Bold
Matchday Partner: Carma
