The Wanderers Academy first grade team are set to play in their first match of the National Premier League 1 (NPL 1) competition this Sunday night when they take on Sydney FC at Illiden Sports Centre.
The match is restricted to 1 adult spectator per player or official. This is in line with Government COVID-19 safe plans for community sport. You can stream the match from 6:30pm here.
The Wanderers were promoted to the first division of the National Premier League as a replacement for Sutherland Sharks and will now take on Sydney FC in the first match of the 11-round competition.
Sydney FC started their NPL 1 campaign with a strong 4-0 win against North Shore Mariners and will be looking to repeat the feat against their cross-city rivals come Sunday night.
The Sky Blues will be without a number of players who have been called up their Hyundai A-League including Luke Ivanovic and Maro Tilio.
The Wanderers, under the reign of Foxtel Y-League Championship-winning coach Arthur Diles, will be looking to make a name for themselves against some of the heavyweights of the competition.
Diles has named a squad filled with depth and experience with Hyundai A-League regulars such as Mohamed Adam, Tass Mourdoukoutas and Jordan O’Doherty all named in the extended squad.
But it is the next generation of Wanderers stars that Sydney will need to be wary of with players such as Thomas Aquilina, Jarrod Carlucico, Fabian Monge, Dean Pelekanos and Mark Natta rising quickly through the Academy ranks.
The match will be the first time the two sides have met since 2018 and there’s no doubt we will see sparks flying in the first Sydney Derby of the NPL 1 competition.
Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC
Sunday 2 August
Illiden Sports Centre, 5:00pm
