Melbourne City take the first step on their journey towards a historic fourth straight Westfield W-League Championship against a Canberra United side seeking improvements after missing out on finals football last time out.
Heather Garriock’s Canberra side found form midway through last term, only to fall short of the top four.
Meaghan McElligott has come in to replace stalwart Michelle Heyman, who spent a decade in the capital before heading to Adelaide.
One of Canberra’s big signings, Scotland captain Rachel Corsie, is unavailable for the season opener due to international duty.
The 29-year-old has won 101 caps for her nation.
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Having already become the first ever Australian football team to win three Grand Finals in a row, Melbourne City can reach for the stars and set new heights in the Westfield W-League 2018/19 season.
The loss of Jess Fishlock and Alanna Kennedy will not phase coach Rado Vidosic long-term but it has created some headaches for this Round 1 clash.
Westfield Matildas pair Tameka Butt and Elise Kellond-Knight – two of the City’s big off-season signings – are yet to arrive, while re-signed duo Kyah Simon and Steph Catley will miss out with Achilles and knee problems respectively.
Round 1 provides a clean slate for every team, so McKellar Park looks to be hosting a mouth-watering clash on Sunday, October 28 at 4pm.
Ins and Outs
Canberra United squad:1.Melissa MAIZELS (gk), 2.Laura HUGHES, 3.Natasha PRIOR, 4.Rachel CORSIE (c), 5.Nikola ORGILL, 6.Refiloe JANE, 8.Olivia PRICE, 9.Rhoda MULAUDZI, 11.Denise O’SULLIVAN, 12.Lauren KEIR, 13.Meaghan MCELLIGOTT, 17.Madelyn WHITTALL, 18.Taren KING, 19.Nickoletta FLANNERY, 20.Shamiran KHAMIS (gk), 21.Ellie CARPENTER, 23.Maria JOSE ROJAS
**two to be omitted**
Unavailable: 7.Aoife COLVILL (International Duty), 16.Karly ROESTBAKKEN (International Duty)
Melbourne City FC squad:1.Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), 3.Lauren BARNES, 4.Chelsea BLISSETT, 5.Helen CACERES, 10.Nia STAMATOPOULOS, 11.Rhali DOBSON, 12.Adriana JONES, 13.Rebekah STOTT, 14.Shelby GREEN, 15.Amy JACKSON, 18.Aimee MEDWIN, 19.Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC, 21.Janna LAWSON, 22.Jasmyne SPENCER, 23.Melissa BARBIERI (gk), 24.Whitney KNIGHT, 88.Theresa NIELSEN
**two to be omitted**
Unavailable: 2.Yukari KINGA (yet to arrive), 7.Steph CATLEY (knee), 8.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT (yet to arrive), 16.Sofia SAKALIS (International duty), 17.Kyah SIMON (Achilles), 31.Tameka BUTT (yet to arrive)
Watch
You can stream the match live on the MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers.
