Neds Weekend Preview: Yorke’s reunion, Nani v Austin’s marquee battle

Dwight Yorke and Sydney FC are no strangers to each other as Macarthur FC and Sydney FC prepare to go head-to-head in Round 4 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season on Saturday.

Yorke was Sydney’s inaugural marquee player when then the league kicked off in 2005. The Manchester United great scored eight goals in 24 matches across all competitions as the Sky Blues claimed the first ever A-League Men Championship 17 years ago.

The popular former Trinidad and Tobago international also wanted to coach Sydney previously, but fast forward to now, and Yorke is in charge of rivals Macarthur.

With the Australia Cup already in hand, Yorke has Macarthur flying high in his first senior managerial coaching role this season – two draws and a win from their opening three matches ahead of Sydney’s visit to Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday night.

All eyes will be on Yorke for the high-profile reunion, but on the field it will be about Macarthur’s Socceroos and World Cup hopefuls – Daniel Arzani and Danny De Silva.

Amid all the talk about Arzani, Yorke told reporters after last week’s 1-1 draw against Western United: “I put it out there because I’ve had the experience of international football, I’ve had the experience of playing at the very top.

“When I see a damn good player in Danny – that’s exactly what I watch – it’s my duty as a manager to push someone like his class to get into the Australian team.

“It’s not my decision to make, to pick the squad, but I know what quality play he’s got.”

On the other side of the field, Steve Corica’s new-look Sydney are growing in confidence.

After a ‘Big Blue’ defeat in Round 1, the Sky Blues – who missed the finals last season – have beaten Western and drawn against Adelaide United.

They key to Sydney’s improving form? English import Joe Lolley and Slovakia international Robert Mak.

Lolley, who has goals in back-to-back games, has made 16 shots at goal this season – five more than any other player in the competition.

Opta stat: Sydney FC have made 42 penalty-area entries per game in 2022-23, the
most of any team in the competition and 15 per game more than Macarthur FC (27); the Sky Blues have scored a goal from inside the box once every 21 entries into the opposition penalty area.

MATCH DETAILS

Macarthur FC v Sydney FC
Saturday, October 29 2022
Campbelltown Stadium
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT
Broadcast: 10 Bold & Paramount+
Odds: Macarthur $2.90, Draw $3.35, Sydney $2.25
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The Wanderers are ‘no Real Madrid or Manchester City

Friday night’s showdown at CommBank Stadium will be a battle between two unbeaten teams.

Western Sydney Wanderers have two wins and a draw through three rounds, while Newcastle Jets – whose opening match was washed out – have began the campaign with back-to-back victories for the first time in their history.

Marko Rudan is rebuilding the Wanderers amid their finals drought, which dates back to 2016-17, and the new-look outfit have scored only three goals this season after last week’s 1-1 draw against Brisbane Roar, but their head coach is not losing sleep.

“It’s no concern for me at all. At all,” said Rudan, whose Wanderers boast a shooting accuracy of 62% this season – their highest ever in a single campaign and 12 percentage points higher than their previous best in 2014-15.

“This is not Real Madrid. This is not Manchester City. We’ve got a salary cap, you’re not going to have the best of both worlds.

“It depends on what you want (attack or defence).”

Standing in Western Sydney’s way are Arthur Papas’ high-flying Jets, who are looking for a third straight win in the competition for the first time since March 2018.

After a last-gasp win over Perth Glory with 10 men, the Jets eased past Wellington Phoenix in Round 3, despite the absence of Beka Mikeltadze.

Trent Buhagiar was on the scoresheet and the Jets forward has been directly involved in seven goals in his last nine A-League Men games, scoring five goals and making two assists in that period.

Opta stat: Western Sydney Wanderers will be hunting for back-to-back wins against Newcastle Jets in the A-League Men for the first time since April 2017 after holding on for a 3-2 win in their most recent meeting (April 2022).

MATCH DETAILS

Western Sydney Wanderers v Newcastle Jets
Friday, October 28 2022
CommBank Stadium
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+
Odds: Wanderers $1,98, Draw $3.35, Jets $3.50
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Nani v Austin in marquee showdown in Brisbane

They are last season’s semi-finalists and boast a marquee in the form of Manchester United and Portugal great Luis Nani. But Melbourne Victory are reeling from consecutive defeats.

Last week’s Derby defeat to Melbourne City left Tony Popovic’s Victory with back-to-back losses for the first time since February 2022. They had lost only one of 18 games prior to their last two (W11, D6).

Victory make their third trip to Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday afternoon desperate to rebound, and they’ll be buoyed by the fact they’re unbeaten in their last three A-League Men games against Brisbane (W1 D2), conceding just a single goal in that period.

However, the Roar are a team steadily on the rise following a confidence-boosting draw away to the Wanderers.

Roar marquee Charlie Austin got off the mark with his first goal in the Isuzu UTE A-League and Brisbane could have easily walked away with three points, having had a pair of second-half goals ruled out.

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Austin has struck quite the partnership with Joe Knowles after the pair combined for the Roar’s opening goal of the campaign last week.

Opta stat: Brisbane have won only two of their last nine A-League Men games in Queensland (D2, L5) and have failed to score a goal in their last two games in the state; only once have they gone longer without a goal in their home state in the competition (three games from September to November in 2008).

MATCH DETAILS

Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory
Saturday, October 29 2022
Moreton Daily Stadium
Kick-off: 3.00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+
Odds: Roar $2.95, Draw $3.20, Victory $2.30
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Another chance for Kuol to stake his Socceroos claim

The FIFA Men’s World Cup is fast approaching and players are running out of time to make their case for Socceroos selection.

Central Coast Mariners teenager Garang Kuol is among the World Cup hopefuls after making his international debut last month and the Newcastle United-bound sensation looms as a possible wildcard in Qatar.

Kuol made his first appearance of the season in last week’s loss to Perth Glory and the 18-year-old talent will have another opportunity to impress at home to defending champions Western United.

But the winless Mariners – who have played two games after their F3 Derby postponed – will be looking to Samuel Silvera again for inspiration. He has scored a goal in each of his last two ALM games after scoring only once in his 40 appearances in the competition prior.

As for John Aloisi’s Western, they will be hoping this week is finally the week to join the winners circle.

Their title defence has not gone according to plan – a Round 3 draw with Macarthur following back-to-back defeats, though they did receive a boost last week when Italian maestro Alessandro Diamanti made his long-awaited return.

Western, who are missing injured pair Tomoki Imai and Tongo Doumbia while Aleksandar Prijovic remains sidelined, last went on a longer winless streak during a 10-game stretch from April to November 2021.

Opta stat: Seven of the previous eight A-League Men games between Central Coast Mariners and Western United have been won by the home team on the day, with the Mariners winning all four of their previous clashes at Central Coast Stadium.

MATCH DETAILS

Central Coast Mariners v Western United
Saturday, October 29 2022
Central Coast Stadium
Kick-off: 5.15pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+
Odds: Mariners $2.40, Draw $3.35, Western $2.70
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Adelaide’s highly anticipated Coopers comeback

Sunday afternoon is a big day for Adelaide United and their fans. The Reds return to Coopers Stadium with more than just a fresh lick of paint.

The Eastern Stand – prominent on the club’s new jersey – is back and accessible in 2022-23 after it was unavailable last season as part of the stadium’s redevelopment.

Perth Glory’s visit to Hindmarsh marks the first home fixture of the season as the Reds seek their maiden win of the campaign.

“It’s very exciting,” said Adelaide defender Ryan Kitto, who scored a Goal of the Week contender against Sydney FC in Round 3.

“Just walking here (to Coopers Stadium), it was the first time I’ve had a good look at it (since the renovations began). It’s giving me goosebumps already and I can’t wait for for Sunday to come – it’s going to be awesome.”

Socceroo and Adelaide captain Craig Goodwin had a pair of assists last week. Four of Adelaide’s last seven goals scored in the ALM have directly involved
Goodwin (one goal, three assists); however, Goodwin has scored just two goals from 19 previous games against the Perth Glory – his joint-lowest tally against any team he’s faced at least five times.

The Glory are up and running after their triumph over the Mariners last week and are eyeing consecutive ALM wins for the first time since May 2021.

However, Perth will be out to avoid a third straight loss to Adelaide – the last time the Reds won more in succession against the Glory was a four-game streak between August 2008 and August 2009.

Opta stat: Adelaide United have won 23 competition points from losing positions in the A-League Men since the beginning of 2022 – 11 more than any other team in the competition and 18 more than Perth Glory (5).

MATCH DETAILS

Adelaide United v Perth Glory
Sunday, October 30 2022
Coopers Stadium
Kick-off: 3.00pm AEDT
Broadcast: 10 Bold & Paramount+
Odds: Adelaide $1.70, Draw $3.60, Glory $4.40
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Can flawless City make it four in a row?

Melbourne City – they are the only team with a perfect record through three rounds thanks to wins over Western United, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City.

Patrick Kisnorbo’s reigning premiers have looked almost unstoppable as they stand on the cusp of matching a club record on Sunday evening.

A fourth straight win to open the season would equal their best start to a campaign (W4 in 2017-18); in fact, only twice in A-League Men history has any team begun a season with more than four straight wins (seven – Melbourne Victory in 2006-07 and six – Sydney FC in 2016-17).

Reigning Golden Boot winner Jamie Maclaren has been an integral part of City’s start with four goals, while fellow Socceroo Mathew Leckie and Kosovo import Valon Berisha have also starred.

Wellington cross the Tasman to a venue where they have struggled. The Phoenix are winless in their last 15 ALM games at AAMI Park (D5, L10), last winning at the venue in April 2017 when Des Buckingham was team manager; their 10% win rate overall at AAMI Park is the lowest of any active team.

That is not the kind of form you want to be taking into a game amid a winless start to a season in the ALM.

If that wasn’t concerning enough, the Phoenix have only ever won once against City in Australia in the ALM (D5, L12), defeating the Melbourne side 1-0 in December 2013. They’ve since recorded three draws and 10 losses in the away fixture since.

Opta stat: Melbourne City head coach Patrick Kisnorbo (W34) has won as many games as Wellington Phoenix counterpart Ufuk Talay (W34) in the A-League Men despite Kisnorbo overseeing his side 24 fewer times than Talay in that term; indeed, Kisnorbo remains undefeated against Talay in the competition as manager (W3, D1).

MATCH DETAILS

Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix
Sunday, October 30 2022
AAMI Park
Kick-off: 5.00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+
Odds: City $1.55, Draw $3.90, Phoenix $5.25
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