Western United will lock horns with Sydney FC as the home team once again in the Liberty A-League Women on Sunday evening.
Match Details
Liberty A-League Women Round 12
Western United vs Sydney FC
Sunday, 14 January
Kick-off: 5:00pm AEDT
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live and free on 10Play, and on Paramount+
Team News
In just her second home match as Western United head coach, Kat Smith has again named an unchanged 18-player extended squad.
That means that Hannah Keane is included in that list and should be fit to feature after missing last week’s win over Melbourne Victory with a soft tissue injury.
This match will also mark a celebration for two stars of Western United’s side as Grace Maher and Adriana Taranto both bring up major milestones.
Maher is line for her 100th appearance in the Liberty A-League while Taranto will reach the 50-game mark if she features on Sunday.
Western United squad: 1. Alyssa DALL’OSTE (gk), 2. Stacey PAPADOPOULOS, 4. Jaclyn SAWICKI, 6. Chloe LOGARZO, 7. Kiara DE DOMIZIO, 9. Hannah KEANE, 11. Emma ROBERS, 12. Lucy RICHARDS, 13. Avaani PRAKASH, 14. Natasha DAKIC, 15. Adriana TARANTO, 16. Melissa TARANTO, 18. Grace MAHER, 19. Tyla Jay VLAJNIC, 20. Keiwa HIEDA, 21. Hillary BEALL (gk), 22. Alana CERNE, 24. Julia SARDO
Last time out
Western United put in arguably its best performance of the season last week, blitzing Melbourne Victory 4-1 in a dominant display.
READ MORE: ALW Match Report: Melbourne Victory 1-4 Western United
It took two goals in each half as Keiwa Hieda and Adriana Taranto got the ball rolling before Chloe Logarzo struck twice in the second period to cap off a brilliant display.
The Opponent
Sydney FC have become synonymous with success in the Liberty A-League over a number of years and continue to chase silverware at the top of the league.
This time around, though, it is very much a new-look team that coach Ante Juric has at his disposal with a number of key players from last season earning moves overseas.
There is still superb depth in quality among the Sky Blues’ ranks and, despite having only played 10 games this season, they still find themselves within striking distance of the top places on the table.
Sydney have been incredibly strong defensively, conceding just seven goals and keeping a clean sheet in five of those 10 matches so far, so Western United will need to be firing on all cylinders in the final third to break through Jada Whyman’s goal.
This fixture will be the first between the two sides since last season’s Grand Final and the fifth in total, with two wins for each team in the four previous meetings.
Key Matchup: Stacey Papadopoulos vs Princess Ibini
One of three Western United players that are yet to miss a single minute of this season, Stacey Papadopoulos is enjoying a tremendous campaign so far.
With the flexibility to play in either full-back position, Papadopoulos has already gone up against some of the league’s top wingers and come out on top more often than not.
After shutting out Victory’s McKenzie Weinert last week, it gets no easier for Papadopoulos this week against Princess Ibini.
One of the quickest, most powerful and deadly attackers in the competition, Ibini remains a headache for any direct opponent and will be hoping to bring her quality for Sydney.
Despite only recording one goal and one assist in 10 matches so far, Ibini can change a game for her team at any moment and Papadopoulos will need to be at her very best to win that individual battle and help United win the game.
Player to Watch: Keiwa Hieda
In her first season as a professional footballer, Hieda is only continuing to grow in confidence and has become a key part of Western United’s attacking dynamic.
Featuring in all 11 matches so far, Hieda has brought tremendous energy up front with every opportunity she has been given to play.
Hieda has contributed either a goal or an assist in both of her starts so far this season and has been equally electric off the bench.
Her pace and trickery to beat defenders is up there with the best in the competition, giving her the ability to impact a match at any moment.
Coming off an excellent performance last week where she scored and won her side a penalty, Hieda will be eager to impress again whether she comes off the bench or is handed a second straight start.
Words from Kat Smith
On any extra motivation amongst the group facing off against Sydney
“There was a similar question last week when it was Melbourne Victory, it’s the same question when it’s Sydney and I bet it’s going to be the same question when it’s Western Sydney.
“Each week when you know you’re in this competition and competing for Premierships and Championships, points are available in every game and we want to walk away with three.”
On the impact that Keiwa Hieda has been making of late
“What I really like about Keiwa is her ability to come on and make an impact. She’s been able to do that and be dangerous from the get go.
“She’s so consistent, for her it was building in to take her opportunity and then to be able to carry out those football actions for 90 minutes, not just the 15 or 20. It took some time in the first couple of weeks I was here to set that through, and we’ll just unleash it from now.”
