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Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Kick-off: 7:30 pm
How to watch: live on 10play
Sydney FC have a quick chance for redemption tonight in the Asian Champions League – but will have to overcome shocking conditions, poor form and unknown opponents.
Conversely if the Sky Blues fail tonight, the season will fall from disappointment further towards disaster. It’s an opportunity to open up a new door for glory, but a risk of falling down the stairs.
I won’t pretend to know anything about opponents Kaya F.C.–Iloilo, beyond that they have barely played in the last two years, and are managed by Yu Hoshide, a Japanese manager who played for a Jack Warner-owned club in Trinidad and Tobago called Joe Public.
Sydney’s next A League match is on Friday, and Steve Corica has stated he has an eye on managing workloads for both matches. Tonight could have been a chance for some to find some form, but the conditions might lead to risk aversion for players coming back from injury.
Sydney FC are allowed to play three foreign players in each ACL game – Luciano Narsingh and Milos Ninkovic will miss out tonight, meaning Bobo, Adam Le Fondre and Kosta Barbarouses can expect some game time. Elvis Kamsoba is out following his knock against the Wanderers, while Corica has hinted that Patrick Yazbek could play a small part. It should be a chance for players such as Ben Warland, Connor O’Toole, Harry Van Der Saag and Max Burgess. Corica will be crossing fingers that his midfield in particular remains clear of injuries, as Sydney strive to keep in touch with the top six in the A League while commencing an ACL campaign.