Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay hopes Wanderers star Juan Mata is deemed fit to play this weekend’s Sydney Derby at Allianz Stadium as the Spaniard races against the clock to prove his fitness ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster.
The Spanish World Cup winner is currently in doubt for the clash in Sydney after injuring his hamstring in the 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar.
Speaking on Wednesday Mata said he was “feeling better everyday” whilst also admitting a ‘hamstring is never good news’ when pressed again whether or not he’d be able to recover in time for the Derby.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE SYDNEY DERBY
“For me, I’d like him to play,” said Sky Blues boss Talay when asked if he was planning for the former Chelsea and Manchester United star to feature.
“I think it adds value to the game. You know, it’d be great if we could get Douglas (Costa) to start and Juan Mata to start.
He added: “I think it’s a great spectacle for the fans that the two great players are on the park playing for their side.
“So look, after the injury that he had. We’ll see on game day what they come up with, how bad his injury actually is.
“If he plays great, I think it’s great for the game itself and great for his team. But at the end of the day, we’ll just focus on what we need to do.”
When it comes to the Sky Blues, Talay admits he has a few selection headaches of his own to contend with ahead of the game.
Recovering from a hamstring injury, Brazilian star Douglas Costa is set to feature for the home side having played 10 minutes against Adelaide United in Round 17 but Talay says his minutes will be managed.
HANGING UP THE GLOVES: Jamie Young retires: A-Leagues champion hangs up the gloves after 24 years in football
“Look, it’s not an easy one to balance with Douglas. The medical staff have obviously capped him with certain minutes within the game.
“But also I’m thinking one step further and we have a game on Wednesday, a very important ACL (Two) clash that we need to play as well. So it’s one of those ones where I know Douglas wants to play.
“If I ask Douglas to play 90 minutes, he’ll say yes, he’ll agree to it straight away. But the reality is, we want to utilise him in the ACL as well.
He added: “So we’ll decide obviously on game day, the decisions that we make and how we utilise Douglas, and if we don’t have to use him, that would be great, then we’ll have them available for the Wednesday clash.”
Furthermore, Talay confirmed recent debutant Kyle Shaw will start once again this week in place of the injured Alexandar Popovic.
DERBY DAY: Juan Mata answers the question everyone is asking ahead of Sydney Derby
The 22-year-old had his his loan move from K League 1 side Gwangju FC made permanent this week, signing a three-and-a-half year deal with the Sky Blues, but will miss the game due to an ongoing groin issue.
Meanwhile new signing Alex Grant is also unlikely to feature having had minimal game time since leaving Chinese Super League side Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C.
“Joel King and Alex Grant are both touch and go at the moment whether we utilise them for the weekend,” said Talay after confirming the aforementioned Shaw is likely to partner club captain Rhyan Grant once again in the heart of the defence.
“Poppa (Popovic) won’t be available. He’s still struggling with his OP (Osteitis Pubis injury) at the moment, but the good thing is that we’ve got players there. We got a lot more depth in that position to make those decisions.”
One player who’s long-term future may well lie away from Sky Park is out-of-favour winger Max Burgess.
The 30-year-old hasn’t played for Sydney FC since their Round 4 loss to Macarthur FC at Allianz Stadium and has been linked with a move away from the club during the current transfer window.
ROUND PREVIEW: Game-by-game preview: What you need to know for Round 18 of the Isuzu UTE A-League
“He’s part of the squad,” said Talay when asked if Burgess was in contention for this weekend’s game.
“Everyone’s in consideration leading to a game and we make that final decision, what the squad looks like, before the match.”
Talay was then asked whether or not Burgess would still be a Sydney FC player once the transfer window has closed after February 12.
“I’m not too sure.”
Ufuk Talay on whether Max Burgess could leave Sydney FC during the current transfer window.
On the pitch, the Sky Blues have the chance to become the first side in Sydney Derby history to win all three matches in the regular season when they take on the Wanderers this Saturday.
Currently sat 5th in the table, the Sky Blues have the chance to not only cement their place within the finals positions but also move six points clear of their rivals in the process.
“Look the derby is always exciting,” said Talay. “It’s another game within the competition that we need to pick up three points. The great thing about the derby is the atmosphere and the rivalry that the players have and the clubs have and the fans have with each other.
“So we look at it as another game where we need to pick up three points because we know the direction we want to head and we know where we want to end up at the end of the season.
He later added: “I think they’ll (Wanderers) approach it in the same manner. To be honest. I think they might be a little bit more aggressive in the early parts of the game, but then obviously they’ll go back into, I believe, their default, which is playing in the mid block, protecting spaces and trying to win balls and hit us on the counter.
“Because we are a very aggressive team. We go forward with a lot of numbers, and in transition (are) the opportunities for them, which they do very well.
“I believe they’ve got players up front that they transition quite well, and we need to nullify that, especially when we do lose the ball within the game.
“But look, there’s a three point difference at the moment for us, we win, we go six points clear or Wanderers, and we keep cementing our spot moving forward.”
