3 minute read
A hectic schedule to finish the A-League season will test the depth of several clubs as the competition pushes ahead with a NSW hub.
The depth of A-League squads will be tested over the coming weeks after the FFA finalised a busy schedule to complete the 2019-20 season.
The remaining 27 regular season fixtures will be played over 34 days starting with Friday's match between Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix at Netstrate Jubilee Stadium.
Despite an outbreak of COVID-19 in Sydney's western suburbs, the league has pushed ahead with its plans to play out the season in NSW.
All matches will be in Sydney, Gosford or Newcastle apart from Sunday's match between Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United on the Gold Coast.
Third-placed Phoenix, who have been in Sydney since last month, have six matches remaining in their season.
As well as Friday's match, Wellington have four games between July 17 and 31 and coach Ufuk Talay admits he'll be forced to rotate his squad heavily throughout the remaining fixtures.
"There's some quick turnarounds in the early rounds, especially the first seven days, there's three games," Talay said.
"So we'll have to rely on the depth of the squad and rely on the players we have to get through those first three games and then we'll go from there.
"It's not easy but at the same time we know what we need to sacrifice to get the outcome that we want from the season."
The league's three Melbourne clubs are also facing a back-ended finish to their seasons given they can't start playing until they've completed a quarantine period following their move from coronavirus-hit Victoria last Saturday.
Sixth-placed Western United are firmly in the hunt for a finals berth and will play three games in eight days towards the end of the regular season schedule against Perth Glory, Sydney FC and Melbourne City.
City's first fixture isn't until August 1, and they have breaks of 10 days and eight days respectively between their two other outstanding matches.
Victory, who are all but certain to miss the finals after a dismal season, have five games to play in 19 days across the schedule.
The finals series will start on August 22 with the grand final to be played on August 30.
Adelaide football director Bruce Djite said while it was disappointing his finals-hunting team couldn't play at home, they were comfortable with the Hub concept.
"We're used to having camps and we're used to having camps in places where people don't normally frequent - we'll go to Uzbekistan, we'll go to North Korea, we go everywhere to play our world game," the former Socceroo said.
"A Hub for us, it's quite normal."
The five venues to be used across NSW are Bankwest Stadium, ANZ Stadium and Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney, Gosford's Central Coast Stadium and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
The draw includes two double-headers with the Phoenix and Adelaide playing at Bankwest Stadium on July 25 before Victory face Western United.
The same venue on August 12 will host Perth Glory's clash with Western United as well as Western Sydney's meeting with Victory.
The Glory will fly to Sydney on Thursday without captain Diego Castro, who has opted not to travel to the NSW Hub.
The Spaniard is one of several international players opting not to play out the season including Western United marquee Panagiotis Kone, Melbourne City winger Markel Susaeta and Victory's German defender Tim Hoogland.
