Sydney FC midfielder Terry Antonis will definitely miss the Australia Day Blockbuster against Melbourne Victory with a hamstring injury that threatens to keep him out of the majority of the club’s vital run to the finals.
Sydney FC midfielder Terry Antonis will definitely miss the Australia Day Blockbuster against Melbourne Victory with a hamstring injury that threatens to keep him out of the majority of the club’s vital run to the finals.
Antonis suffered the injury during the Sky Blues light training run on Tuesday morning.
The 18-year-old is still awaiting the result of scans but could be sidelined for up to a month, right in the middle of a number of crucial fixtures that could determine Sydney’s finals hopes.
Despite the injury Antonis was still selected on Wednesday in Aurelio Vidmar’s Qantas Australian U23s squad for next month’s crucial Olympic qualifiers in Uzbekistan and UAE.
He will need to pass a fitness test to before the squad leaves on Monday to take his place in the squad but it’s understood that is highly unlikely, with Central Coast whiz Mustafa Amini on standby.
“It’s unlucky for the team and for Terry especially,” Lavicka said.
“It was only a light training and he picked up a problem with his hammy.”
“The medical staff is trying to do as best as they can with Terry but there’s no chance to get him ready for the (Victory) game.”
Lavicka has yet to make a decision on who will replace Antonis in the starting side with Bruno Cazarine, Shannon Cole and Hiro Moriyasu all options.
The Sydney players seem rejuvenated after their late 2-1 win over the Gold Coast on Sunday, a result which snapped a six-game winless run.
It was a vital three points for Lavicka’s side, currently in sixth place, which opened up a four-point gap on the finals-chasing Victory.
The Sky Blues see this encounter as the perfect opportunity to pull away from the chasing pack and cement their spot in the top six.
“If we can get a good result down there (in Melbourne) it puts a bit of a space between us and the seventh and eighth teams on the table,” goal-keeper Liam Reddy said.
“We know we need to keep picking points up and if we can do it there it will be a good result for us.”
“All the teams are very close. If we get a good result there is a chance to make the gap bigger but if not everything will be closer again.”
Lavicka, whose future at the club has been a big talking point during Sydney’s poor run, said it was a relief to finally get back in the winners’ circle and get their season back on track.
“It was a release for all of because in the games before we had bad luck and lost points in the last part of the game,” he said.
“We finally picked up points in last part of the game which was important for the team confidence and all of us.”
“The boys worked really hard against Gold Coast and the belief was strong in that moment.”
“We deserved to get the three points but now we have another big clash in Melbourne.”
Asked about the rivalry between the two clubs, the Sydney boss said: “It’s a normal rivalry….everyone wants to beat the other one.”
“We have great memories of when we beat them two years ago when we reached the grand final and won on penalty shootout.”
“It’s great memories for us but this is another challenge, another time and we have to get ready for this.”
