Barbarouses returns to bolster Sydney FC against Wellington

Sydney FC is set to collide with Wellington with the hope that star forward Kosta Barbarouses can have an impact in his return to action.

The Greek-New Zealander star is raring to get back into the thick of things, needing no extra motivation than watching his side play, as he hopes to contribute to a win and possibly bag another goal against his former side.

“I’ve been in the game for a while now and one of the main driving things is that I’m still hungry to paly otherwise I wouldn’t still be here…I’ve done it plenty of times before (score) against them which they always remind me and give me a hard time for,” said Barbarouses in response to questions from Neos Kosmos.

Western United is preparing for the visit of the Wanderers while Melbourne City aims to dethrone them when they come up against Arthur Papas’ Newcastle side.

Macarthur FC and Melbourne Victory are looking to rebuild form against Adelaide and Central Coast respectively.

Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar will each want three points in a bottom of the table clash.

READ MORE: Western United holds onto first but City draws close

On Friday night, Melbourne City were to host Newcastle who had to recover from their midweek 1-2 loss to Adelaide (no result was available at the time of writing).

The reigning premiers fluffed their chance to go first though they may have another chance against the Jets who are slowly improving as a team, winning two in their last three games.

Wellington plays Sydney FC at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday evening with both teams coming in with huge confidence.

The Phoenix has been unbeaten in their last five, including a 3-0 victory against Brisbane on Wednesday.

The Sky Blues have also been in good form of late and the return of Barbarouses has his coach, Steve Corica, very enthused.

“He brings a lot of speed, he can score goals, create goals but a lot of what you don’t see is he does a lot of defensive work as well. We’re very pleased to have him back and we want to keep him fit for the rest of the season,” Mr Corica told Neos Kosmos.

Macarthur will be visited by Adelaide in what seems a crucial match for the Bulls to re-establish some credibility.

Macarthur has hit a form slump (five games winless) which has seen them drop from top spot to seventh.

The Reds have really started to hit their stride and will be sure to extend their opponent’s struggles.

Melbourne Victory plays Central Coast at home in the FFA Cup final rematch and a lot is at stake for both clubs.

Victory is in desperate need of three points after losing 2-0 on Wednesday night to the Wanderers, their third straight league loss.

The Mariners have their own league form to overturn but they will also be motivated by revenge after losing to the Melbournians in the FFA Cup final two weeks ago.

Western United faces off with Western Sydney on Sunday night as they look to stay at the top of the table.

The Green and Black club will take confidence from their win against the Wanderers only two weeks ago though their opponents have proven difficult to predict this campaign.

Western Sydney will look to forward Dimitri Petratos who has contributed two penalty goals in as many games.

Perth is set to clash with Brisbane in their makeshift home of Launceston with both teams looking to leave the other on the bottom.

Glory is looking to escape from last place as they strive to build some momentum after many postponements due to COVID.

The Roar has been hovering near the bottom for much of the new season and they will be hoping to create as much distance from it as they can.