Socceroo star Brett Emerton will get the chance to shine as he leads Sydney FC in their match against A-League high-flyers Melbourne Heart on Thursday night.
The Sky Blues can climb to outright second spot on the ladder with a win against the Heart, who claimed second place after beating Melbourne Victory 3-2 last week.
And with skipper Terry McFlynn serving a one-match ban after receiving his second yellow card in three matches, coach Vitezslav Lavicka is confident former Blackburn Rovers captain Emerton can fill the void.
“For someone to be a captain it depends on their abilities and they must be real leaders,” Lavicka said on Tuesday.
“This season we have more players with this ability and Brett Emerton is definitely one of them.
“This is a great chance for him to show his leadership.
“On Thursday he will start with a captain’s armband so he will have more responsibility. This is a very important game for him.”
Thursday’s match will kick off a hectic period of three games in 11 days for Sydney, with a trip to Wellington their next match followed by a home clash with table-toppers Central Coast.
Lavicka has admitted to being very careful with how he makes use of Emerton with the 32-year-old more prone to injury than some of the side’s younger players.
“He works very hard, he’s a team player and always does the maximum for the team’s success,” Lavicka said.
“But of course he is a senior player so we must be careful because sometimes he has problems with his body so we must manage him smartly.”
Sydney FC will again be without injured playmaker Nick Carle (hamstring) as they try to find that elusive home form, having only won twice at the SFS in five attempts.
“That’s a big problem this season for us,”Lavicka said.
“We are able to pick up the points when we play tough games away, but we need to pick up the three points when we play at home.”
With the exception of Carle and McFlynn, Lavicka has a full squad to choose from with Emerton or Slovak import Karol Kisel possibly slotting into McFlynn’s central midfield role.
Teen midfielder Terry Antonis and striker Mark Bridge, who were both fit to play in last week’s draw with Adelaide but weren’t selected, will be hoping to find their way back into the squad.
“We’ve got great depth in the team here and we’ve shown that in the past with players coming in and out with injuries,” Sky Blues defender Michael Beauchamp said.
“Whatever 11 players step out on to the field are going to do a job for the team.”
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