Emily Gielnik will be hoping to make her return to the pitch for Melbourne Victory, Tameka Yallop will have the chance to continue her goalscoring form for the Brisbane Roar, and Sydney FC takes on Asia in this week’s CommBank Matildas at Home preview.
AFC Women’s Club Championship
Sydney FC will travel to Uzbekistan this week to take on Iranian side Bam Khatoon, FC Nasaf from Uzbekistan, and Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels from South Korea in the group stage of the AFC Women’s Club Championship. They qualified due to winning the 2022-23 A-League Women’s final.
There are a total of eight teams participating, meaning there are two groups of four. The winners of each group will play off in a final that will take place in May 2024. It is the second time that an Australian side has travelled to the tournament with Melbourne Victory participating in 2019.
HELLLLOOOOOOOO UZBEKISTAN 🇺🇿👋#SydneyIsSkyBlue | @theafcdotcom pic.twitter.com/0sgLPRUhlu
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) November 3, 2023
Unfortunately for Sydney FC, Cortnee Vine will be unavailable for the fixtures due to the hamstring injury that she picked up on international duty against the Philippines.
The games will be at 7pm AEDT on Monday, November 6; Thursday, November 9; and Sunday, November 12. Games are expected to be streamed on the Uzbekistan Football Association YouTube Channel.
A-League Women
The weekend gets underway on Saturday, 12.45pm AEDT as Wellington Phoenix host Brisbane Roar. Both teams are in form, and this fixture has turned into an unexpected top-four clash. Tameka Yallop will be hoping to translate her goalscoring form against Chinese Taipei into clubland for the Roar.
Canberra United will be hoping that their first home game of the season can springboard them into form as they take on Perth Glory on Saturday, 4pm AEDT. Canberra has only one point from the first two games and has been susceptible in defence. Glory, meanwhile, are two wins from two off the back of impressive form from Western Australian youngsters, and are yet to concede a goal this season.
There will be a chance to see several CommBank Matildas in action as Lydia Williams, Elise Kellond-Knight and Emily Gielnik’s Melbourne Victory takes on Adelaide United on Saturday, 5pm AEDT. Both teams will be looking to kickstart their season in this game – Victory is yet to pick up a point, while Adelaide has a solitary draw.
Williams was forced off the pitch with an injury in last round’s defeat to Western United but she recovered in time to play the second half against Chinese Taipei, so is expected to start for Victory. Kellond-Knight made her return to the pitch in that same game as a second-half substitute. Meanwhile, Gielnik will be hoping for her first minutes off the bench this season, as she continues her recovery from injury.
On Sunday, 4pm AEDT, Chloe Logarzo’s Western United will host high-flying Melbourne City in another Melbourne derby. This fixture was hotly contested last season and it is definitely one to mark in your calendar this time around. Logarzo started the game last round – her first start for Western United – and she will be hoping to reprise her role this weekend.
The round concludes on Sunday, 5.45pm AEDT as the Newcastle Jets host the Western Sydney Wanderers. The Wanderers are desperately looking to find form as they have been unable to pick up a point, or score a goal, in the opening two rounds of the season. Meanwhile, Newcastle played well in defeat against Perth, and a win here could begin to separate them from the bottom half of the table.
Kyah Simon’s Central Coast Mariners are the odd side out this weekend with Sydney FC being in Uzbekistan, meaning that Simon will have an additional week to recover from her long-term injury.
You can watch the A-League Women free in Australia on 10Play, or via Paramount+.
