Ufuk Talay has revealed his intentions for Thursday night’s clash against FC Kaya Iloilo at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in the final Group Stage match of the AFC Champions League Two.
Heading into this one, the Sky Blues cannot move from 2nd place in the group and have secured their place in the Round of 16 of the competition with the draw for that scheduled for the 12th of December.
With an Isuzu UTE A-League clash on Sunday afternoon against the Central Coast Mariners, Ufuk Talay highlighted the chance to rotate his squad.
“Tomorrow we’re going to give an opportunity to some young players and players that haven’t had as much game time.
“This is a good opportunity for us to expose them into this environment as well and I believe that it is very important and I looking forward to seeing what they can produce.
“Unfortunately these players are at a big club where we have some big names in certain positions so sometimes they don’t get the opportunity which makes tomorrow a great one for them,” Talay said.
In the reverse fixture, the Sky Blues over ran their opponents 4-1 in some tough conditions on a tough pitch and hopefully this time around on a good surface they can show their class.
The guess for who makes the starting side and bench to show their class will be revealed tomorrow though, with the coach keeping his cards close to his chest as to which players he picks.
“I think we’ll leave the squad reveal until tomorrow evening,” he joked.
“There is one eye looking forward as well because we have an important clash against Central Coast on Sunday that we need to perform well in.”
“I know the ability that these players have so now it is about providing that opportunity to be able to play and expose themselves to these games.
“We will still have some senior players that have played regular football in the squad so it’ll be a balance of some youth and some experienced players too.
With all the rotation questions and focus on managing minutes, one thing still stands of high importance to Talay.
“The focus for me is on what we do and how we perform and my expectation of the group regardless of who’s playing.
“They will be wearing the Sydney FC shirt and I believe we have a certain expectation that we play a certain way and try to win games so I will want them to do that,” he said.
“The game is about goals and the way you win is by scoring goals so whether it’s 4-1 or 1-0, I’d just like the boys to get confidence to score goals, but more importantly, perform and win the game.”
Match Details
Sydney FC v FC Kaya Iloilo
AFC Champions League Two MD6
Thursday 5th December 2024
Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah, NSW
Kick Off: 7:00pm AEDT
Gates Open: 6:00pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: 10Play
Tickets: Click Here
