Macarthur FC recruit Filip Kurto is poised to make his A-League Men debut for the club against former team Wellington Phoenix just days after returning to Australia, but will do so in Newcastle after Campbelltown Stadium’s pitch was deemed unfit for play.
The game has been moved to McDonald Jones Stadium after Friday’s pitch inspection determined the Bulls’ home ground’s playing surface was “not at an acceptable standard that is safe for players, staff, and match officials for this weekend’s game”.
Macarthur said they were “unable to find a suitable local alternative” and their game will instead kick off at 6.45pm as part of a double header in Newcastle, following the F3 derby between the Jets and Central Coast.
Bulls members are able to redeem tickets while anyone who had purchased tickets would be contacted for a refund.
Polish goalkeeper Kurto, recruited following Adam Federici’s shock retirement last month, only flew into Sydney earlier this week but coach Ante Milicic is considering throwing him in for Sunday’s season opener.
Fringe Socceroos forward Tomi Juric has had a disrupted pre-season, with the Bulls coach unsure if his fitness is quite at the level to feature.
“We’ve got a couple of issues to be honest,” Milicic told AAP.
“Kurto just came in during the week so he’s getting better every day but we’re going to have to make a decision there and at the same time Tomi Juric probably hasn’t seen the amount of match minutes that we would have liked during the pre-season.
“We’ve got a couple of decisions to make but the rest of the boys have all presented well and I’m happy with the way that the week has gone.”
Of the two, Kurto looks most likely to feature against the club for whom he played the 2018-19 season before spending the past two seasons at Western United.
Another ex-Phoenix star, Mexican midfielder Ulises Davila, will also be facing his former club.
The Johnny Warren Medallist, who was Phoenix captain last year, has been elevated to Macarthur’s captaincy in the wake of Federici’s exit.
“He hasn’t really said too much, the fact that we’re playing Wellington,” Milicic said.
“I’m sure that he’s looking forward to putting in a big performance on Sunday and playing against the club that brought him to this league will have a little bit of extra incentive for him no doubt.”
Milicic also dismissed his team’s pre-season form which has included four matches against A-League opposition which have all ended in defeat.
