10 Isuzu UTE A-League clubs will continue their quest for Australia Cup glory on Tuesday night when the Round of 32 gets underway.
Holders Sydney FC begin their Australia Cup defence with a hotly anticipated clash against NPLM Victoria side Oakleigh Cannons at the Home of the Matildas on Tuesday evening.
The Sky Blues came from behind to eventually beat Brisbane Roar 3-1 in last year’s final and will now look to overcome a potential banana skin of a fixture against an Oakleigh side that famously knocked them out at the quarter-final stage in 2022.
Also kicking off at 7:30pm AEST on Tuesday July 30 are Isuzu UTE A-League side Macarthur FC, with Mile Sterjovski’s men travelling to to the ACT to face O’Connor Knights SC at GIO Stadium.
The Bulls captured their first piece of silverware in club history in the 2021 edition of the Australia Cup and now a new-look Macarthur team featuring the likes of Luke Brattan, Chris Ikonomidis and Marin Jakoliš will be out to impress following on from a solid season which saw them reach the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series in 2023-24.
On Wednesday July 31, three more Isuzu UTE A-League sides are in action with three-time winners Adelaide United facing NPLM NSW side Blacktown City FC.
Now without the likes of Nestory Irankunda and Hiroshi Ibusuki, coach Carl Veart will look to youngsters Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic to supply the goals when they travel to Sydney while Dutch defender Bart Vriends will add some much needed experience at the back.
Meanwhile Alen Stajcic takes charge of his first game as head coach of the Western Sydney Wanderers when they travel to Queensland to take on Brisbane City.
Defeated at the quarter-final stage of last year’s tournament the Wanderers will look to go deeper this year and will be hoping new recruit Bozhidar Kraev will provide the spark needed to get them off to a winning start.
Elsewhere, having dismantled fellow Isuzu UTE A-League side Western United 4-1 in last week’s Australia Cup play-offs Rob Stanton’s Newcastle Jets visit Sydney’s South to take on Rockdale Ilinden.
Now without top scorer Apostolos Stamatelopoulos following his transfer to Europe, the Jets will look to new recruit Lachie Rose to provide the goals after he joined the club from Macarthur FC.
Saturday sees two Isuzu UTE A-League teams go head-to-head at the Sam Kerr Football Centre in Western Australia as Perth Glory host Melbourne City.
After brushing aside Brisbane Roar 4-1 in the Australia Cup play-offs during what was new Glory head coach David Zdrillic’s first game in charge, Perth will take on a Melbourne City side aiming to win the Australia Cup for the first time since 2016.
On Tuesday, August 6 Melbourne Victory will be out to avoid a cupset when they take on NPL Northern NSW side Lambton Jaffas at Jack MacLaughlan Oval in Edgeworth.
Another coach seeking to win his first competitive match in charge, Victory boss Patrick Kisnorbo has begun rebuilding his squad following the exits of experienced first-team players Damien Da Silva, Paul Izzo, Chris Ikonomidis and Jake Brimmer.
Taking their places within the victory set-up are the likes of Jing Reec, Reno Piscopo, Jack Duncan and Brendan Hamill while Socceroo Jason Geria has also re-signed on a new two-year deal.
On the same night, Wellington Phoenix travel across the Tasman to take on NPL VIC outfit South Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium.
Head coach Giancarlo Italiano will look to carry momentum over from an impressive 2023-24 campaign which saw the ‘Nix reach the Isuzu UTE A-League Semi-Finals however he’ll be without the likes of Oskar Zawada, Bozhidar Kraev, Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, Finn Surman and Nicholas Pennington – all of whom left the club in the off-season.
Rounding things off on Wednesday, August 7 are the reigning Isuzu UTE A-League Champions Central Coast Mariners, who travel to Victoria to take on Heidelberg United.
Fresh off penning a new three-year contract, head coach Mark Jackson will be aiming to capture a fourth trophy of his tenure having captured the Premiership, Championship and AFC Cup treble in his first season in charge.
