For the first time since 2016, the Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC will play in the opening round of the A-League Men season.
The Wanderers will kick off their 10th season in the competition this Saturday night when they do battle with the Sky Blues at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta.
A crowd of more than 20,000 fully vaccinated fans are expected to be in attendance for the blockbuster clash, which will usher in a new era for the A-Leagues.
After a long association with Fox Sports, the A-Leagues officially have a new home in 2021/22 with every game of the A-League Men and A-League Women seasons to be broadcast on streaming service Paramount+, plus one A-League Men’s game will also be broadcast on Saturday nights on 10 and live-streamed on 10 Play.
Saturday night’s Sydney Derby will be screened live on 10’s main channel from 7pm, with the rest of the round’s games to be streamed on Paramount+.
With coach Carl Robinson back for his second year in charge and new captain Rhys Williams set to lead out the side for the first time, the Wanderers will go into Saturday’s clash as slight outsiders against last season’s runners up.
Despite having not qualified for the playoffs since 2017, the Wanderers are equal third favourites with the bookmakers for this year’s title.
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender’s Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.
