This Australia Day will see a special occasion as the Western Sydney Wanderers face A-League new boys Auckland FC for the first time ever in a competitive match.
Get your tickets to the match here.
They have had to bide their time, but they will host the team nicknamed the Black Knights on Sunday afternoon in an important clash for both sides.
The Wanderers are looking to get back to winning ways after a comeback against the Mariners fell short last Friday.
They unfortunately fell behind 2-0 before James Temelkovski’s first ever professional goal in the 86th minute set up a chaotic finish.
The Wanderers gained momentum from the goal and could have easily scored at least a goal in frantic circumstances.
Soon after Brandon Borrello rounded the goalkeeper and had his shot cleared off the line by a desperate sliding attempt from a Mariners defender, before Zac Sapsford also had an effort cleared off the line by Brian Katak.
Sensing they could break the Mariners defence, they threw bodies forward for a corner, but were hit on the counter-attack and conceded a third goal.
There were positives to take, not limited to Temelkovski once again having a positive impact off the bench with his goal.
Juan Mata got another assist and helped change the game off the bench, continuing a good run of form for the marquee signing who is finding his feet at the Wanderers.
Jarrod Carluccio, academy product and fan favourite, also made his second debut for the Red and Black after rejoining last week; he will be an important presence as the Wanderers continue to battle injuries to the likes of Dylan Scicluna and Gabriel Cleur.
Alex Gersbach, a new signing who has returned to Australia after a long stint overseas, also began training this week and could be available for the match against Auckland this weekend.
Luckily for the Wanderers, results around them in the last round were kind, and they still have a good chance of getting back into the top six with a victory over the newcomers, though they have been incredibly impressive in their first season.
They became the first side to ever win their first six games in the league, and they did it whilst not conceding in their first five!
They have had great crowds in Auckland as the city gets behind them, and the way they have caught the attention of the public is reminiscent of what the Wanderers did way back in 2012.
Auckland, led by Steve Corica, have been a bit more inconsistent in recent weeks as a bit more travel and a congested fixture list has had a bit of an impact, but they were back to their clinical best last Saturday against then ladder-leading Melbourne City.
They scored two brilliant goals to go along with a Max Mata strike to lead 3-0 at half-time, and their defence did the job in the second half as they won 3-0 and went back to second on the table.
They are far and away the best defensive side in the A-League, led by Kiwi international and on-loan Bournemouth star Alex Paulsen and captain Hiroki Sakai.
It has made up for a less impressive attack as Auckland have only scored nine times, 10 times less than the Wanderers.
It will be a good test for the Wanderers’ attack and an important one as they need the three points in their race for a finals spot.
Whilst this is the first ever league meeting between the sides, the Wanderers won a pre-season match at Wanderers Football Park 4-2.
