Western Sydney coach Tony Popovic says he won’t be afraid to change a winning line-up as the newcomers aim for their first home victory against Melbourne Heart.
Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic says he won’t be afraid to change a winning line-up as the Hyundai A-League newcomers aim for their first home victory when they play Melbourne Heart on Friday night.
The Wanderers kick-started their season with an historic first win for the club last weekend, disposing of two-time champions Brisbane Roar 1-0 at Suncorp Stadium.
They now have the opportunity to register back-to-back wins and the first in front of their home fans against the Heart at Parramatta Stadium.
While youngster Joey Gibbs did a superb job in attack in his first game for the club against the Roar, Popovic admitted experienced Croatian striker Dino Kresinger could come straight back into the team as he recovers from a hip injury.
Kresinger trained with the rest of the Wanderers squad on Thursday and Popovic said he would want to see how he pulled up after the session before finalising his team.
“Every game you’ve got to take on its merits and judge each game differently,” the Wanderers boss said.
“If Dino’s fit, then we’ll make a decision on it – he’s improving every day.
“Joey obviously did a very good job (against the Roar), as did everyone but I don’t think there was any standouts.
“All the players did a very good job for the team.”
Popovic said spirits among the playing group had lifted since their breakthrough victory but stressed it was vital they built on that success in front of their home fans.
It’s a challenge skipper Michael Beauchamp knows will be difficult, with the upset win over the Roar ensuring his side can no longer slide under the radar.
“I think a few more people will be looking at us now with a bit more urgency,” Beauchamp said on Thursday.
“We’ve put in some good performances from the first game there but unfortunately the ball wasn’t going in for us.
“To get that first three points is fantastic for the club and hopefully we can go on from here.
“There’s no excuses now to let that level drop and hopefully we can maintain that for the rest of the season.”
Meanwhile, Popovic played down talk his club was in line to add another big name striker to its ranks, with Harry Kewell and Joel Griffiths both linked with the Wanderers in recent days.
“I’ve got a good relationship with Harry but we haven’t spoken since he’s been here or if he’s (in Australia),” Popovic said.
“We’ve had no recent conversations.
“We get players put forward all the time.
“There’s a lot of things that are said that aren’t true and we’ll just leave it at that.”
