Sydney FC will take on Wrexham in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday, 15 July, as both teams continue their preparation for the new season.
The match marks the first pre-season fixture of the summer for the hosts, while it is Wrexham's second match following their clash with Melbourne Victory last week.
The Red Dragons are gearing up for a season in the Championship following their third consecutive promotion last season and are keen to ensure they are as prepared as possible for what's to come.
How the bookies view it: No odds available
There are no odds available at present for the match. Once they are released, we will update the preview.
Head to head: A first-ever clash
This will be the first time that Sydney FC and Wrexham have ever played against each other, which isn't a huge surprise given that Wrexham had little reason to play in Australia prior to the takeover from Ryan Reynold and Rob Mac four years ago. However, now that they are becoming more of a global club, overseas pre-season tours will become the norm.
Players to watch: New boys to continue their pre-season with their new club
Wrexham have only made two significant signings so far this summer, with Ryan Hardie coming in from Plymouth and Danny Ward signing on a free transfer.
Both men are expected to start the match on Tuesday, or at least play 45 minutes, should they start the match on the bench. More is expected of Hardie, given that he is a striker and has effectively replaced club legend, Paul Mullin, who has left the club on loan to Wigan.
Over the past four seasons, Hardie has hit double digits in league goals for Plymouth, and a similar return this time around would make it £800k well spent. He got off to the perfect start last time out, netting in the second half against Melbourne Victory.
Sydney FC have lost both of last season's top goalscorers this summer, so all eyes will be on their forwards to see if they can vill the void left behind.
Predicted line-ups
Neither side has reported any injuries ahead of this one, meaning both managers will attempt to be as flexible as possible throughout the 90 minutes. Minutes in the legs are far more important than results at this stage of pre-season, so it wouldn't be a shock to see both teams field separate XIs in either half.
Sydney FC: Devenish-Meares – Grant, Popovic, Courtney-Perkins, King – Kamijo, Lolley, Hollman, Quintal – Youlley, Costa
Wrexham: Ward – Cleworth, Scarr, Brunt – Longman, Rathbone, James, Lee, Revan – Marriott, Hardie
Anything else catch the eye?
Wrexham ended last season in good form, and they have seemingly picked up where they left off based on their 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory in their first pre-season match of the summer. They have now won their last three matches without conceding a goal, and I'm backing them to win to nil once again on Tuesday.
GambleAware