Quick Look |
Canberra United kicks off Season 11 of the Westfield W-League with a blockbuster against Melbourne City on Sunday afternoon, and it will be the first time the two sides have met at McKellar Park since City came into the league.
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Key Bits |
United’s largely new look squad is full of youthful talent and proven experience, with Scottish international Rachel Corsie leading the side from the backline. Corsie said during the week that United can approach this game as something of an unknown, and that gives the team a little bit of an edge.
Up top, Chilean signing Cote will bring a fiery presence to the front line along with Rhoda Mulaudzi, and the latter’s South African counterpart Refiloe Jane will help pull strings in midfield.
Nicki Flannery will look to make a strong start to the season after an injury-riddled 2017/18 campaign and on her day can be a game-changer out wide on pitch.
Young stars Karly Roestbakken and Aoife Colvill will miss the clash while on international duties with the Young Matildas in Lebanon, with Colvill opening the tournament with a hat-trick against Mongolia.
Ellie Carpenter returned from NWSL & Matildas duty to Canberra last week and has had an instant impact in training and will be ready to do the same on the pitch as she continues to make a name for herself as one of the best players in the competition.
This will be a first glimpse of a Melbourne City side with no Jess Fishlock since the Welsh Midfielder announced she would be headed to France instead, but Rado Vidosic still has plenty of talent to pick from at McKellar Park.
Former United midfielder Yukari Kinga will be unavailable for City having not arrived in Australia yet, while Vidosic will be without a number of other key figures.
The two sides have only met five times in the past three seasons, with Melbourne City winning four and Canberra claiming one.
Read more about some of our best meetings here.
From the Coach |
About the upcoming clash…
It’s a new season, most definitely I think weve had a really good pre-season. This season we’re all about winning, the momentum would be shifted our way with a win and I think it’s a very important game, and no better match to start with than the defending champions.”
“Losing one or two games means it is nearly a quarter of the season, so a fast start is so important. That’s why our pre-season was so important, as was recruiting internationals who could be here in time. We’ll hit the ground running on Sunday.”
On what to expect on Sunday…
“They’re such a massive brand, Melbourne City. They’ve been pioneering Women’s Football and they’ve set the benchmark the last couple of years so I don’t expect anything different. In saying that, the focus hasn’t been on Melbourne City, it’s been on Canberra United and us being successful. And if we do our jobs well, have that winning mentality and stick together we will get the result on Sunday.”
Squads |
Canberra United squad:1.Melissa MAIZELS (gk), 2.Laura HUGHES, 3.Natasha PRIOR, 4.Rachel CORSIE (c), 5.Nikola ORGILL, 6.Refiloe JANE, 8.Olivia PRICE, 9.Rhoda MULAUDZI, 11.Denise O’SULLIVAN, 12.Lauren KEIR, 13.Meaghan MCELLIGOTT, 17.Madelyn WHITTALL, 18.Taren KING, 19.Nickoletta FLANNERY, 20.Shamiran KHAMIS (gk), 21.Ellie CARPENTER, 23.Maria JOSE ROJAS
**two to be omitted**
Unavailable: 7.Aoife COLVILL (International Duty), 16.Karly ROESTBAKKEN (International Duty)
Melbourne City FC squad:1.Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), 3.Lauren BARNES, 4.Chelsea BLISSETT, 5.Helen CACERES, 10.Nia STAMATOPOULOS, 11.Rhali DOBSON, 12.Adriana JONES, 13.Rebekah STOTT, 14.Shelby GREEN, 15.Amy JACKSON, 18.Aimee MEDWIN, 19.Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC, 21.Janna LAWSON, 22.Jasmyne SPENCER, 23.Melissa BARBIERI (gk), 24.Whitney KNIGHT, 88.Theresa NIELSEN
**two to be omitted**
Unavailable: 2.Yukari KINGA (yet to arrive), 7.Steph CATLEY (knee), 8.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT (yet to arrive), 16.Sofia SAKALIS (International duty), 17.Kyah SIMON (Achilles), 31.Tameka BUTT (yet to arrive)
Match Details |
Canberra United v Melbourne City
Sunday, 28th October @ 4pm
McKellar Park
Live on the MyFootball App – How to watch the Westfield W-League this season
#CBRvMCY on Twitter
Gates: 3pm
Parking is free, with an option to make a donation to the Rotary Foundation
