Western Sydney Wanderers FC open the new season at home against a Perth Glory side looking to make amends after a disappointing 2021/22 season.
You can get your tickets to the Round 1 fixture here.
The opening match of a new season is generally filled with a curious mix of trepidation and positivity with members and fans often quietly confident and hoping for the best, but in truth, unsure where the season will be heading.
But, for the Western Sydney Wanderers, this season feels different around Wanderland with an off-season full of strong recruitment, positive results and genuine confidence.
It’s these three pillars of recruitment, results, and confidence that are the hallmarks of a typical Marko Rudan-coached side.
They can be seen at all the clubs he’s managed: Sydney United (Champions), Wellington Phoenix (first Finals appearance in four years), and Western United (Semi final appearance in their inaugural season).
And in his first full off-season with the Western Sydney Wanderers, it is clear that Rudan is implementing the same formula for success: with the confidence and language of the players being the biggest indicator of their genuine belief.
Whereas in the past where players would speak of qualifying for Finals or individual goals as the main target: this pre-season has been all about heightened expectations.
In majority of interviews this pre-season, players have cited winning the Championship as a goal: this isn’t just empty rhetoric either, it’s genuine belief that the team can win titles.
Specifically, Brandon Borrello and Kusini Yengi have made it clear that silverware is the target with Lawrence Thomas also adding qualification into Asia into the mix.
It’s a confidence that hasn’t been seen in the playing squad since the club’s early days of regular milestones and Grand Final appearances.
Pre-season so far
It’s been an incredible pre-season in terms of off-season recruitment with the club bringing in four Socceroos, three non-Australian internationals, a two-time Johnny Warren Medal winner, and a seasoned European professional who has since been named club captain.
In short, it’s the biggest influx of proven talent for the Wanderers since the 2015/16 off-season.
Thomas, Oliver Bozanic, Ruon Tongyik, and Brandon Borello have all proven their worth at A-League level and won full Socceroos caps.
Yeni Ngbakoto, Milos Ninkovic, and Sulejman Krpic have all earned international honours with Congo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina respectively.
And Marcelo, an U20 Brazil representative, has impressed everyone since setting foot at Wanderers Football Park: earning captaincy and proving why his European credentials come so highly regarded.
Collectively, this year’s squad has won 40 top flight league and Cup honours. This team knows how to win.
The opposition
The Red & Black are being visited by a Perth Glory team who are coming off a wooden spoon and who have not beaten the Wanderers in almost three years. Come match day, it will have been 950 days – or two years and seven months – since a Perth outfit last defeated the Wanderers.
Pre-season so far has been relatively successful, albeit against weak opposition: the Glory are undefeated in their five friendly matches but have only played one A-League team (a 0-0 draw with Central Coast Mariners).
Their new Israeli signing, Ben Azubel, as well as Australian midfielder, Adam Zimarino have been their main goal threats this pre-season while new signings Matt Hatch (from Mariners) and former Wanderer, Johnny Koutroumbis, have been regulars in their starting XI.
While failing to shine in pre-season so far, new signings Mustafa Amini and David Williams, along with recently-capped Socceroo, Bruno Fornaroli, have been steadily increasing their fitness and will be players to watch out for if they can play significant minutes against the Wanderers.
Perhaps Perth’s biggest change though is their manager, Fairfield-born Ruben Zadkovich.
The Round 1 clash against Western Sydney will be his first competitive match in charge of Perth as a permanent head coach, after taking over as interim coach at the end of last season.
An experienced A-League player with over 150 caps to his name, Zadkovich steps into the Perth Glory hot seat after honing his craft at Broadmeadow Magic, who he helped steer to the 2018 Northern NSW NPL titles, and 18 months as Glory assistant coach under Richard Garcia.
Head-to-head
Played: 28
Wanderers wins: 10
Glory wins: 8
Draws: 10
Watching the match
Members and match day ticket holders can simply catch the train to CommBank Stadium thanks to the club’s integrated transport deal. Simply show your membership card or ticket to transport when boarding trains, metro, or light rail services on match day.
CommBank Stadium is an approximate ten-minute walk from Parramatta Station.
For those unable to attend, the match will be broadcast live on 10 Bold and Paramount+.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Perth Glory
Sunday 9 October 2022, 3:00pm
CommBank Stadium
Live on 10 Bold and Paramount+
Get your tickets here
