Round 3 Preview: Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers

For football fans in Sydney, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.

The Sydney Derby kicks off for another season with both teams eager to improve on the start to their seasons. With Allianz Stadium set to be filled to capacity and both Sydney FC and Wanderers supporters eager to out-sing, out-chant and out-support one another, both teams will be wanting to bag a memorable win and, more importantly, give their respective campaigns some crucial momentum.

Last week:

For the Sky Blues, last week was one that both players and fans would want to forget. Crushed 4-0 by a rampant Brisbane Roar outfit, Sydney FC also lost their inspirational captain Alessandro Del Piero to a calf injury, one which is likely to keep him from taking the field for the Derby. Needless to say, the club will be looking to bounce back against their local rival.

The Wanderers continued their slow-but-steady start to the season with a 1-1 draw against a spirited Wellington Phoenix. The boys from Western Sydney continue to show signs of improvement as they warm to the new season, yet they will still be disappointed about not taking all three points from a team which traditionally struggles for impact away from home.

Head-to-head:

Played: 3

Sydney FC 1 – Draw 1 – Wanderers 1

Sydney FC

While Alessandro Del Piero hasn’t been ruled out of the squad, he will most likely be on the bench. With the forced withdrawal of strong fullback Pedj Bojic to a calf injury sustained against the Roar, Sydney FC are set to push Nick Carle up the field into his more natural No.10 role to fill the void left by Del Piero. Rhyan Grant should also return to the starting line-up as a straight swap for Bojic, and Tiago Calvano has been drafted into the squad. But will Head Coach Frank Farina break up Ryall and Petkovic after all the fuss made about their new partnership in the centre of defence? Finally in squad news, Yairo Yau has been brought into the squad after a frustrating time on the bench for his country during recent qualifiers. Yau will be desperate to blow off some steam.

The team will be wary of the Wanderer’s counter-attacks, but the away team will also be trying to deliver a killer psychological blow to their rivals by launching attacks of their own. For Sydney FC to get anything out of this encounter they will have to nullify Youssouf Hersi and Mark Bridge while keeping Ono, Mooy and Polenz subdued. While Grant may be able to contain Bridge on his own, the question is whether Sydney’s left fullback – be it Marc Warren or Matthew Jurman – can contain Hersi.

If the Sky Blues manage to pull this off, Tomi Juric should remain isolated up front. If not, Janjetovic will have the chance to earn Man of the Match this week as there is no doubt he’ll be kept busy.

Injury report:

Terry MCFLYNN (Groin – 2 weeks)

Peter TRIANTIS (groin – long term)

Terry ANTONIS (thigh – long term)

Corey GAMEIRO (knee – 2 weeks)

Predrag BOJIC (calf – 1 week)

Sydney FC’s possible starting XI: 4-1-2-3

Janjetovic

Grant            Ryall             Petkovic              Jurman

Thompson

Abbas                  Carle

Chianese             Garcia                Yau

Western Sydney Wanderers

The Wanderers go into this encounter as the favourites; a well-deserved tag. With all of the team’s regular first XI players available – Aaron Mooy having been cleared by the club earlier this week – Head Coach Tony Popovic will not hesitate to throw his strongest team at the Sky Blues.

The wide players who did so much damage last season – Youssouf Hersi and Mark Bridge – will be key in this encounter, with Sydney FC’s fullbacks likely to be stretched trying to contain their intelligent runs. Mooy may not be at his best if the sickening challenge from Kevin Muscat is still affecting him, but Shinji Ono can and will seek to control the middle of the park.

The only question marks are the Wanderer’s new-look attacking line, and whether Sydney can break through the Wanderer’s defence using sheer pace. The Phoenix’s spirited comeback last week showed that the Wanderers can indeed be unlocked if players approach the task in the right way, but do Sydney FC have what it takes? As for the attacking lineup, any new combination of players takes time to gel, but with so many proven goal-scorers littered throughout the team, the front line can afford to take their time to get into the game.

Injury report:

Yianni Perkatis (knee – 1 week)

Josh Barresi (leg – 1 week)

Kwabena Appiah (leg – 2 weeks)

Western Sydney Wanderers’ possible starting XI: 4-5-1

Covic

Polenz           Beauchamp                      Spiranovic                    D’Apuzzo

Hersi            Mooy                   Ono                       Poljak             Bridge

Juric

Key Players

Sydney FC: Nick Carle

The player who is likely to wear the arm-band for this game, Nick Carle has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. Not only does he have to marshal an offensive effort against one of the toughest defences in the A-League, he has to have the stamina to track back and help a Sydney FC defence that is still recovering from the mauling dished out by the Roar.

Western Sydney Wanderers: Shinji Ono

Ono will be the midfield maestro for the Wanderers this game, pulling the strings for his impressive companions in the centre of the park as they try to unlock the Sydney FC defence. He will have a busy time against whoever Sydney place in front of their back four, but with assistance from Mooy and Poljak, Ono may have a productive game against the Sky Blues.

Fun facts:

This match will be the first non-finals sellout at Allianz Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 40,000.

With Del Piero potentially out of the squad, no other Sydney FC player has ever scored against the Wanderers.

Final Verdict

Derbies always bring passion and intensity, but both sides sense what a crucial encounter this one will be. For the Wanderers it’s a chance to score a confidence-boosting win and keep up with the Roar, while the Sky Blues will be desperate to bounce back from last week and give their fans something to cheer about.

The Wanderers will have the upper hand in this game – they’ve won here before – so they will definitely be the team to beat. Sydney FC however are a tough home side under Frank Farina, so they won’t go down without a fight.

Expect to see a lot of this game played out in the centre of the park for the first 60 minutes, after which the game should open up. Sydney will be boosted by Carle playing further up the park but this may result in defensive frailties which the Wanderers will be more than happy to exploit. As for the Wanderers, they need to remain disciplined against a side which will be looking to frustrate them. There may be very few chances to score in this game, so the Wanderers will need to do better with their finishing than last week.

Ultimately I see this game ending up a highly-entertaining draw.

Score prediction:

Sydney FC 1 – 1 Wanderers

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