The Hahn Australia Cup Round of 32 continues tonight with three more Isuzu UTE A-league sides in action.
Two of those teams come face-to-face at Maitland Sports Ground where Newcastle Jets host Adelaide United in a game that will see both Mark Milligan and Airton Andrioli take charge of their respective sides for the very first side.
CLICK HERE TO HEAD TO THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE TRANSFER CENTRE
“It’s quite interesting the fact that we worked together and now we play against each other,” said Andrioli when discussing the fact he and Milligan worked alongside one another at Adelaide United under former Reds boss Carl Veart.
“I think it’s just business as usual for us. I guess Mark will be doing his best to prepare his team for the up and coming season. I’ll be doing the same thing here.
“We’re just focusing on making sure the team is ready to go, and hopefully we can get the result tomorrow night.”
Picked as the man to replace club legend Veart at the helm, 60-year-old Andrioli has so far overseen an off-season of change at the Reds with a host of seasoned first-team players leaving the club.
ITALIAN GIANTS: Glory coach adds his voice to this off-season’s big talking point before AC Milan test
With Spanish duo Isaias and Javi Lopez hanging up the boots and subsequently moving into respective coaching roles the likes of Ryan Tunnicliffe, Josh Cavallo, Jordan Elsey and James Delianov have also moved on to pastures new.
However arguably the biggest blow to the Reds in the off-season is the news influential midfielder Zach Clough has left the club to take up a lucrative offer in Malaysia.
“Yeah, it’s one of those things you know. In football things happen very quickly, things are constantly changing, so we just have to focus now in what we have.
“Zach has been very good to us. Unfortunately, he had a very good offer that we couldn’t say no to that he obviously had to take, but I think we got a good, solid group here that can replace him.”
In more positive news though the club has re-signed club legend and Socceroo Craig Goodwin following another spell in Saudi Arabia while talented young Dutch winger Julian Kwaaitaal has also returned to the club following his loan spell in the Netherlands.
LOCKED IN:Â Dates for 2025-26 A-Leagues season confirmed
“There are certain positions in the team that we’re looking for reinforcement,” said Andrioli when asked if the club is still active in the transfer market.
“As I said, we’ve got a very solid group, but we’ll definitely be looking in some specific positions that could reinforce our playing group.”
As for Newcastle, new head coach Milligan will also be hoping to kick off his tenure with a win in what is his first senior game in charge of the Jets.
Recruited to replace former head coach Rob Stanton, Milligan joined the Jets after leaving his role as assistant coach of the Malaysian National Team and has been busy shaping his new squad in his image during the off-season.
Following the departures of 10 first-team players, Milligan has recruited some recognisable Isuzu UTE A-League talent.
Vying for the number one jersey at McDonald Jones Stadium will be former Adelaide United goalkeeper James Delianov whilst experienced Irish defender Joe Shaughnessy has arrived from Scottish Premiership side Dundee.
Meanwhile at the top end of the pitch Milligan has added plenty of attacking flair with the acquisitions of both former Western Sydney Wanderers playmaker Alex Badolato and Sydney FC championship winger Max Burgess.
Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Maitland Regional Sportsground
Broadcast: 10Play and the Football Australia YouTube Channel
Tickets
Isuzu UTE A-League Champions kick-off 2025-26 campaign with mouthwatering cup clash
In what was one of the more eye-catching ties to emerge from the Hahn Australia Cup Round of 32 draw, Isuzu UTE A-League Champions Melbourne City face NPL NSW giants APIA Leichhardt in a mouthwatering clash on Wednesday night.
Following on from the 1-0 Grand Final triumph over rivals Melbourne Victory in May, City will no doubt look pretty different when they line-up against the side currently running second in the NPL NSW.
Six players from last season’s Championship winning squad have departed including the likes of Steven Ugarkovic, Harry Politidis, Arion Sulemani and Callum Talbot whilst head coach Aurelio Vidmar has also lost two more senior figures.
CLICK HERE TO HEAD TO THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE TRANSFER CENTRE
Following another stand-out campaign on-loan in Melbourne, Socceroos winger Marco Tilio has returned to parent club Celtic where it’s now expected he’ll be moving to another club in Europe on loan whilst Israeli winger Yonatan Cohen is also yet to re-sign for the coming campaign.
EUROPEAN HEAVYWEIGHTS: A-Leagues star set to face global superstars after switching international allegiance
Meanwhile Socceroos midfielder Jimmy Jeggo announced during the off-season that he’d be hanging up the boots following an injury-hit campaign which saw him play just four matches due to an achilles issue.
However the club has added to their defensive stocks in the off-season, signing Celtic defender Liam Bonetig on a three-year deal whilst they’ve also handed new contracts to existing players Alessandro Lopane, Samuel Souprayen, Max Caputo and Harry Shillington.
In APIA Leichhardt City are set for a stern test against a side currently vying at the top of the NPL NSW.
Sat in second place, APIA are three points behind league-leaders NWS Spirit and have won four of their last five matches.
Coached by former Newcastle Jets player and APIA fan-favourite Franco Parisi, the side from Sydney’s inner-west are the top scorers in the division with 65 goals to their name.
