Brett Emerton and his Sydney FC teammates will have every reason to be a little fatigued when they host Central Coast on Saturday night.
Emerton’s recent return to national duty with the Socceroos has featured trips to Dubai for a training camp, Muscat for a 1-0 loss to Oman, and Bangkok for the 1-0 win that provided safe passage to the next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Emerton, left out of an earlier national squad after joining the A-League with Australia coach Holger Osieck citing match fitness concerns, has endured a testing week.
The veteran midfielder was only used as a substitute against Oman on Friday night but bounced back to play the full 90 minutes on Tuesday against Thailand, teeing up the only goal of the game for Brett Holman.
There won’t be much time for respite, with Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka expected to slot his prized recruit into the side at the expense of Rhyan Grant, who has been picked in Australia’s under-23 squad to play upcoming Olympic qualifiers.
“His confidence is probably high,” Lavicka said on Thursday ahead of the Sydney Football Stadium clash with the Mariners.
“Now he’s coming back to Sydney this morning to get the medical checking before (the game) and some recovery only.
“He’ll be ready to play for us.”
Emerton’s busy week coincided with the end of a nomadic month for his teammates, who have struck form in a four-game unbeaten streak that featured visits to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.
It’s understandable the players were given an extra day off this week.
One man who enjoyed the unexpected break more than most was young gun Terry Antonis.
The 17-year-old played 66 minutes in his side’s last-start 1-0 win over Perth, the match coming after an active stint with the Young Socceroos in Malaysia.
“We played four games over there and won all of them. So it was a great experience,” Antonis said of Australia’s successful AFC under-19 qualification campaign.
“I was a bit buggered on the weekend against Perth but I’ve definitely recovered after that. I feel pretty good right now.”
If Brisbane’s unbeaten streak comes to an unlikely end at game No.35 in Newcastle on Saturday, Sydney FC will have a chance to draw level with the Roar on 14 points.
However the Roar hold a superior goal differential, so two unfathomable scorelines would be needed to bump them from top spot.
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