Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay has confirmed Brazilian star Douglas Costa won’t feature in the Sky Blues’ exhibition clash against Wrexham AFC on Tuesday night.
The 34-year-old made headlines over the weekend after taking to social media to pour cold water on speculation he could be set to depart the club after just one season in sky blue.
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However, while Costa confirmed he wouldn’t be leaving the Isuzu UTE A-League in favour of a reported move to Azerbaijan, the Brazilian won’t be available for Tuesday’s highly anticipated match against Wrexham AFC.
“We’ve given him some extra time. He needs to sort out some personal stuff back in Brazil,” said Talay when asked about Costa’s absence.
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“Once he sorts that out he’ll be back here with us.”
The good news for Sydney FC fans though is that star winger Joe Lolley is in line to feature against the Red Dragons while Talay also confirmed new signings Rhys Youlley and Akol Akon are among some of the club’s younger talents who will be given the chance to shine against their EFL Championship opponents.
“Yep, Joe’s available to play tomorrow night. Look where the boys are at, I think we’ll start a team and they’ll get to around 60-65 minutes and then we’ll throw the young boys on (for) probably (the) last 25-20 minutes and give them some game time as well,” Talay explained.
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“We’re still trying to build our players up as you’re aware, it’s still pre-season for us. This is our second friendly so the boys played 45 minutes through the game before and we’ll push them a little bit more in this game.
“At the same time, as much as this is a nice spectacle and entertainment, we’re preparing for a cup game.”
While they may not have been too active in the transfer market so far, Talay did confirm the club are actively pursuing up to six new players ahead of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
“At the moment, Alex Baumjohann (Sydney FC’s Head of Player Management) is working in the background,” said Talay when asked about new signings.
“We’re still looking at signing at least four local players and we currently still have two visa spots available.
“As a coach, I want all my players in as soon as possible before we lead into the Australia Cup game against Western United, but that’s never the case.
“But we have some priorities that we want to bring in. First and foremost, I think there’s a few local players that we want to bring in and as you’re aware, with the visa players, we’ve got to make sure that we’re bringing in the right players.”
Quizzed on which positions those visa players were likely to be in, Talay revealed the club were looking to strengthen at both ends of the pitch.
“Either a winger or a (number) 10, possibly, and also a central defender.”
The Sky Blues have lost a number of high-profile players during the off-season including Socceroos midfielder Anthony Caceres (Macarthur Bulls) and legendary goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne and top scorer Adrian Segecic, while Polish striker Patryk Klimala’s loan spell also came to an end.
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Full Sydney FC squad to take on Wrexham AFC
1. Gus HOEFSLOOT, 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 6. Corey HOLLMAN, 8. Wataru KAMIJO, 10. Joe LOLLEY, 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES, 13. Patrick WOOD, 16. Joel KING, 18. Matthew SCARCELLA, 20. Tiago QUINTAL, 22. Mathias MACALLISTER, 23. Rhyan GRANT ©, 27. Lachie MIDDLETON, 29. Joe LACEY, 31. Jared MIDDLETON, 32. Nic ALFARO, 33. Marin FRANCE, 34. Tyler WILLIAMS, 35. Nicolas ZDRILIC, 36. Rhys YOULLEY, 37. Will KENNEDY, 41. Alex POPOVIC, 44. Akol AKON.
Unavailable: 5. Alex GRANT, 11. Douglas COSTA, 15. Leo SENA.
