The Western Sydney Wanderers NPL side faces a tough test on Saturday night, as they host heavyweights Sydney Olympic at Wanderers Football Park.
It has been a difficult period for the young Wanderers, as they are on a four game losing run despite three of these games being decided by only one goal.
Their most recent outing came against Wollongong Wolves at WIN Stadium; in a clash where clear cut chances were few and far between, a late Jake Trew goal for the home side ensured the Wanderers were denied a deserved share of the points.
There were still positives to come from the match; Lawrence Caruso in goal made a couple of fine diving spots at important points in the game, and the match also saw the return of key attacker Zac Sapsford, who came off the bench in the second half to mark his return from an injury layoff.
To get out of the form slump, the Wanderers are going to need their players with A-League Men’s experience such as Sapsford, Daniel Wilmering and Jarrod Carluccio to stand up and lead by example.
The latter two have impressed so far this season, with Wilmering assisting Carluccio for a goal earlier this season against St George City.
They will need to produce similar feats again against Olympic, who will be keen to reverse a run of losses of their own; the side from Belmore have lost their last two games to Rockdale and St George respectively, and will be looking to march up the table once again.
Olympic have one of the strongest sides in the NPL, with former Wanderers defender Ziggy Gordon, star striker Roy O’Donovan and dangerous winger Adam Parkhouse all posing massive threats in different parts of the pitch.
Despite this, the Wanderers will go into this match with no fear, and know that they have all the necessary weapons in their arsenal to take down Sydney Olympic.
NPL NSW Round Six
Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs Sydney Olympic FC
Saturday 11th March 2023, 7:00pm
Wanderers Football Park.
