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After much anticipation season 11 of the A-League is back in action. Both Sydney FC and Melbourne City will be determined to get things rolling in the new season when they meet at the Allianz Stadium. Join The Roar from 7:15pm onwards for live scores and commentary.
A lot has changed since these two clubs met in Round 1 last season. Both teams goal scorers are now wearing different colours: David Villa is currently in New York, whilst Corey Gameiro switched to City.
Both clubs also had to say their goodbyes to their strikers – Sydney lost Marc Janko with City’s Josh Kennedy retiring. Janko’s departure in particular greatly rocked the league, his dominance and precision up front will surely be missed.
In what is set up to be a thrilling Saturday night encounter, both teams will be keen to get things going right from the onset of the season. Sydney and City both played finals last season and will be out to rectify their exits with a successful 2015-16.
Both teams utilised the off-season to their advantage; their squads have been strengthened and with new reinforcements a top half finish will be the minimum expectation.
Melbourne City released many of the ageing stars, giving way to some surging talent. However, unfortunately for City fans, three of their new recruits will not take part in the opening match, as Ivan Franjic, Aaron Hughes and Corey Gameiro will be sidelined.
Excitingly however, Michael Zullo, Wade Dekker, Bruno Fornaroli and Thomas Sorensen all make their debut for City.
Melbourne City’s pre-season work indicates that they will not be happy just falling into the top six this season, as they intend on bringing home some silverware and making some noise of their own.
Sydney FC have meanwhile put last year’s grand final loss behind them as they look to improve on last season and surge towards another title.
The Sky Blues have responded to the departures of goal scoring threats in Janko and Ibini through the reinforcements of Serbian international Milos Ninkovic as well as new marquee man Filip Holosko, both of whom have been listed on the team sheet to face City.
The opening fixture will give fans a good insight into the talent of Sydney’s new recruits, as their new stars will be keen to make an immediate impact on the field and among fans.
The Sky Blues have also done well in pinching some quality domestic players with the likes of Andrew Hoole and Matt Simon, who will also take part in the match.
The last five meetings between the two sides have been very even with both teams enjoying two victories, two defeats and one draw. All five encounters have been tight, with only one goal separating them.
This match will nonetheless give Sydney a chance to improve on their form at home from last season. The Sky Blues only managed four wins and four draws out of thirteen home matches. It remains vital for Sydney to make their home a feared fortress if their title challenge is to be successful.
Although pre-season is generally not much to go by, Melbourne City have certainly gotten their fans up and about with their form. City’s domestic marquee Aaron Mooy has led this charge, most recently scoring a hat-trick in their FFA Cup quarter final victory.
Mooy was a standout in his debut season, scoring seven goals and winning City’s ‘Player of the Year’.
The partnership of Koren and Mooy will certainly bring great excitement to City’s attack, allowing the team to play with a sense of flair, whilst remaining tight and disciplined down back.
Overall this match is one that is not to be missed, as both teams unveil their new guns as they look to kick off their season in winning style.
Prediction: Too close to call, a 2-2 draw should see this one through.
Will Sydney’s shiny new reinforcements guide them to victory? Or will City’s class outshine the Sky Blues?
Join The Roar from 7:15pm (AEST) as we find out.
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