Preview: Wollongong Wolves v Sydney FC
Wollongong Wolves v Sydney FC
Wednesday 10 August 2016
Win Stadium, Wollongong (NSW)
Kick-off: 7:30pm local (7:30pm AEST)
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referee 1: James Tresoriero
Assistant Referee 2: Andrej Giev
Fourth Official: Katie Patterson
Tickets: Click here for ticketing details
TV Broadcast: 7.00pm (AEST) Live and exclusive on FOX SPORTS 4 (Channel 505)
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tags #WOLvSYD #FFACup
Wollongong Wolves squad: 1.Justin Pasfield (gk), 2.Kota Kawase, 3.Darcy Madden, 4.Josh Orchard, 5.James Baldacchino, 6.Zachary Mackenzie, 7.Chris Price, 8.Brendan Griffin,9.Stefan Dimoski, 10.David Stojic, 11.Jake Trew, 12.Daniel Collison (gk), 13.Boden Allport, 14.Luke Foster, 15.Danny Lazarevski, 16.Ben Zucco, 17.Ricky Zucco, 18.Nicolas Bernal,19.Josh MacDonald, 20.Steven Hristovski, 21.Justin Ivanovic, 22.Blake McGinn, 23.Samuel Matthews, 24.Jack Lombo, 25.Ethan Kambisios
Sydney FC squad: 1.Vedran Janjetovic (gk), 2.Sebastian Ryall, 4.Alex Wilkinson, 5.Matthew Jurman, 6.Josh Brillante, 7.Michael Zullo, 8.Milos Dimitrijevic, 10.Milos Ninkovic, 11.Bernie Ibini, 12.Aaron Calver, 13.Brandon O’Neill, 17.David Carney, 18.Matt Simon, 19.George Blackwood, 20.Danny Vukovic (gk), 21.Filip Holosko, 23.Rhyan Grant, 24.Charles Lokoli Ngoy, 25.George Timotheou, 26.William Mutch, 27.Chris Zuvela, 28.Nicola Kulevski, 29.Bai Antoniou, 30.Mitch Evans (gk)
Bluffer's guide
Could we witness another stunning FFA Cup shock?
The Wolves will be hoping to join the giant-killers Green Gully and Redlands United as member federation clubs to eliminate Hyundai A-League opposition in the Round of 32.
For the Fox Sports feature game, a bumper crowd is tipped (10,000 plus at least, perhaps more) for what will be an extra special occasion for Wollongong boss Jacob Timpano, who was a part of Sydney FC's title-winning squad in the inaugural A-League season.
You get the sense he'll need to pull off a coaching masterstroke in this one, especially given the Wolves' form in the PS4 NSW NPL.
The South Coast club’s wins have been few and far between as they flounder around the bottom of the ladder (though they won 1-0 on the weekend, a timely boost you'd have to say).
Gloveman Justin Pasfield gives the Wolves some A-League experience while the likes of Nicholas Bernal and Josh Macdonald (who scored on the weekend) will be among their danger men.
But the Sky Blues will be wary.
After an arduous ACL campaign that ended in May, Graham Arnold's squad is still starting out in their pre-season with only a couple of friendly matches under their belt. Will that make them vulnerable to the battle-hardened Wolves?
The A-League boys still have plenty of quality and experience in their ranks though and the likes of Seb Ryall, Matt Jurman, Filip Holosko, Milos Ninkovic and Matt Simon should ensure Sydney won't be caught on the hop.
The Sky Blues have yet to make a real mark in this competition so could this be the year they go on a Cup run?
The Wolves also have the chance to add some money to their coffers with the NAB Golden Goals initiative, which will see the Westfield FFA Cup partner give any Member Federation club $2,500 for each goal they score against a Hyundai A-League opponent.
