Sydney FC coach Steve Corica is set to ring the changes ahead of Saturday night's derby against Western Sydney Wanderers in an effort to snap his side's inconsistent performances.
Dutch star Siem de Jong is set to start his first match since round one after overcoming a hamstring injury and could be joined by another two new additions to the Sky Blues line-up. In what would be a bold attacking move, Corica is toying with the idea of starting attacking midfielder Danny De Silva to add some creativity to his forward line, while young central defender Aaron Calver could be injected into the first team to bolster the Sky Blues' defence.
Comeback trail: Siem de Jong is set to start against the Wanderers at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.Credit:AAP
Marquee signing De Jong has not played a full match for two months but is a strong chance to return to the first 11, with Corica itching to have the former Ajax and Newcastle United man on the field for as long as possible against the Sky Blues' biggest rivals.
"We had Siem on the bench last week and I want to get him back into the team as soon as possible because he's the marquee and he's been out for six week," Corica said. "We've missed him and players like Danny De Silva as well who I'm excited about and want to get him into the team as well."
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Should De Jong and De Silva start, it will force a considerable reshuffle for the Sky Blues with captain Alex Brosque and midfielder Paulo Retre the two most likely candidates to be dropped to the bench on Saturday night. The changes are set to come a week after Sydney conceded three goals at home to Wellington Phoenix and their collective defending was brought under question following their 3-1 loss to the New Zealanders.
The result opens the door for Calver to earn his first start of the season, potentially replacing Dutch defender Jop van der Linden who has been guilty of a number of errors since joining Sydney this season. When asked whether Calver was a chance to be included in the line-up on Saturday night, Corica acknowledged, "he is."
The 22-year-old centre-back has only played five minutes in three brief cameo's off the bench this season but played 72 minutes for the youth team last Sunday in order to be match fit for this weekend. Corica will delay making his final selection until game day, not revealing any further on how his Sydney side will start the derby.
"I don't want to give too much away but I said that last week [there could be changes] and I just want a good performance from our boys and a good response after last week's defeat," Corica said. "You know it's a derby week because they're all excited and ready for it. It's a great occasion."
Dominic Bossi is a football reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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