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If the Akrites (Frontiersmen) are successful it will be in no small part due to a nine-strong ensemble of Australian pioneers.
Make that ten if you count - and you surely must - Sydney-based owner Bill Papas, a football-crazy entrepreneur who aims to mould the club into a permanent pipeline for Australian talent.
Foremost among coach Tony Popovic’s cast is Socceroos defender Matthew Jurman, the 31-year-old stopper whose maiden foray into the bear-pit of European club football will be deemed more miss than hit if Xanthi doesn’t dominate Super League 2.
Relegated from the top division after points were stripped as a consequence of ownership irregularities, a multi-cultural collective of players are working to right perceived wrongs with performances on the field.
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Bobo scored 42 goals across 57 A-League games for the Sky Blues between 2016-2018, making him the league s leader in goals per game (0.737).
The 35-year-old s return will add major firepower to Sydney s already star-studded squad as the club aims for its third consecutive A-League title.
Bobo has arrived in Australia and is currently quarantining, but he s expected to be out in time for Sydney s derby clash with the Wanderers on January 16. I enjoyed every moment of my time at Sydney FC, we had a hugely successful two seasons and I want that again, Bobo said. The club has hardly missed a beat since, winning both A-League titles and the Premiers Plate and I can t wait to go for three in a row.
Live A-League football updates: Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC
2 Jan, 2021 05:45 AM
4 minutes to read
Jaushua Sotirio of the Phoenix. Photo / Photosport
NZ Herald
There will be no easing into the new season for the Wellington Phoenix when they open their 2020/21 A-League football campaign.
After their best regular-season finish in 2019/20, Wellington welcome defending champions Sydney FC to their temporary home of WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
The Sky Blues were the only side the Phoenix didn t beat last season, losing twice and drawing the other meeting between the two.
Advertisement Last season we played our best games against Sydney, Talay said. We play a very similar style. We let them go a couple of times when we had them by the throat.
Mexican star Ulises Davila, left, will lead Wellington Phoenix this season.
Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay is aiming high in his second year in charge of New Zealand s only professional football club despite relocating to Australia.
Phillip Rollo reports. Will it help or hinder Wellington Phoenix to be based out of Wollongong, 2221km from home, for the duration of the 2020-21 A-League season? Coach Ufuk Talay is unsure. It is a question he has been wondering himself ahead of an unprecedented second year in charge of New Zealand’s only professional football club. On one hand, players and staff – and their families – have uprooted their lives to relocate to another country and will not get to play in front of their ardent supporters at Sky Stadium. But on the other, their travel has been significantly reduced and they will be better acclimated to the intense Australian heat.