Glory ALM Interim Head Coach Adam Griffiths is relishing what he regards as his side’s biggest challenge of the season so far when they take on ladder leaders Sydney FC at HBF Park on Saturday (kick-off at 6:45pm, tickets available HERE).
Click HERE to view his full pre-match media conference.
The men in purple have been buoyed by three successive wins which have propelled them from the foot of the ladder into the top six.
But Griffiths believes that they will have to raise their performance levels again in order to get the better of a Sydney side which has won five of its seven games to date this term.
“The team are hungry, they’re ready and they’ve been really training well, so I’m expecting a solid performance,” he said.
“There’s a lot of intensity, a lot of focus and competition and the boys are enjoying themselves.
“Hopefully that reflects in the performance.
“The team’s in a good place and we’re moving in the right direction, but this is the next big challenge.
“The belief is growing… but the most important thing from a team perspective is that we forget about the past.
“The past is the past and we move forward.
“What happened in the past does not matter anymore.
“What happens in the future is the only thing we care about.
“They [Sydney FC] are well organised and have good combinations and this will be our biggest challenge.”
Although the Sky Blues are expected to be without key man Joe Lolley, who has reportedly succumbed to a hamstring injury, there is no chance of Griffiths taking them lightly.
“Joe Lolley’s an exceptional player, everyone knows that,” he said.
“But they’ve also got a lot of other strengths.
“Their foreigners are linking up well in the final third and they’ve got a really experienced centre-back, so there’s a lot of good players in this Sydney FC side and it’s a challenge.
“Defensively they’re sound, much better than they were in previous seasons and they’ve brought in really good foreigners.”
The Head Coach went on to emphasise how much the Glory players enjoy playing in front of the HBF Park faithful with whom they celebrated in fulsome style following last week’s backs-to-the-wall win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
“Every game at home is special for our players and that’s the type of culture we want to try and build in the group,” he said.
“Add in some excitement and some belief and hopefully it continues to grow.”
In terms of team news, meanwhile, Griffiths confirmed that defender Sam Sutton could come into the selection frame for the first time this A-League season after recovering from his knee injury, but that Luke Amos has only recently resumed training and is not yet ready to return.
Trent Ostler is definitely ruled out as he serves a one-game suspension following his dismissal against Wanderers last time out.
As for Saturday’s opponents, they have made a strong start to the campaign, registering five wins from their seven outings and finding the net in every game bar their derby defeat against Western Sydney Wanderers a fortnight ago.
Al Hassan Toure has posed a major attacking threat, scoring four goals and adding an assist, while Spanish import Victor Campuzano has found the net twice from nine shots and at the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares has kept three clean sheets.
Other players to look out for include former Glory favourite Alex Grant and the man he has formed an uncompromising central defensive partnership with, DR Congo international Marcel Tisserand.
Sydney have visited HBF Park on 27 previous occasions, winning 13 of those games to Glory’s five, but the last three meetings between the two sides in WA have all ended in draws.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2025/26 Season Round 8
Perth Glory v Sydney FC
HBF Park
Saturday 13 December 2025
Kick-off: 6:45pm
Perth Glory Squad: 2.Charbel SHAMOON, 3.Sam SUTTON, 4.Scott WOOTTON (co-c), 5.Riley FOXE, 6.Brandon O’NEILL, 7.Nicholas PENNINGTON, 8.Callum TIMMINS, 9.Jaiden KUCHARSKI, 16.Gabriel POPOVIC, 17.Arion SULEMANI, 18.Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 19.Josh RISDON, 22.Adam TAGGART (co-c), 25.Sebastian DESPOTOVSKI, 26.Khoa NGO, 27.Will FRENEY, 29.Matt SUTTON (gk), 34.Tom LAWRENCE, 40.Ryan WARNER (gk), 45.Brian KALTAK
*Two to be omitted
Ins: 3.Sam SUTTON, 6.Brandon O’NEILL, 17.Arion SULEMANI
Outs: 20.Trent OSTLER (suspended)
Unavailable: 10.Luke AMOS (injured), 11.Lachlan WALES (injured), 13.Cameron COOK (gk) (injured), 15.Zach LISOLAJSKI (injured), 20.Trent OSTLER (suspended), 31.Joel ANASMO (injured)
Sydney FC squad: 1. Gus HOEFSLOOT (GK), 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 5. Alex GRANT, 6. Corey HOLLMAN, 7. Piero QUISPE, 8. Wataru KAMIJO, 9. Victor CAMPUZANO, 11. Abel WALATEE, 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES (GK), 13. Pat WOOD, 16. Joel KING, 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 20. Tiago QUINTAL, 22. Mathias MACALLISTER, 23. Rhyan GRANT ©, 26. Nikolas ALFARO, 32. Marcel TISSERAND, 35. Al Hassan TOURE, 36. Rhys YOULLEY, 41. Alexandar POPOVIC
(Two to be omitted)
Ins: 6. Corey HOLLMAN (promoted), 22. Mathias MACALLISTER (promoted), 41. Alexandar POPOVIC (promoted)
Outs: 10. Joe LOLLEY (hamstring)
Unavailable: 24. Paul OKON JR (quad)
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ALM Match Preview: Griffiths relishing “biggest challenge” against Sydney FC
