Head Coach Stephen Peters believes that the chance to move into second spot on the Ninja A-League ladder will provide huge motivation for his Glory side when they take on struggling Sydney FC at Sam Kerr Football Centre on Wednesday (kick-off at 7pm, tickets available HERE).
Click HERE to watch his full pre-match media conference.
The incredibly congested nature of the ALW table means that a first home win over Sydney FC since 2018 would see the women in purple climb no fewer than seven places.
And Peters is desperate to see his charges capitalise as they continue to negotiate a string of tough fixtures.
“It’s very rare that you get two bites at the cherry to go to second spot which is what we’ve recently experienced,” he said.
“It’s all about the opportunity for us now.
“We can’t think about the negatives or the pressure; we’ve just got to think about the opportunity that’s presenting itself.
“We want to collect some points from this little spell that we’ve had.
“We played the Champions away, the Premiers at home and now we have Sydney FC who have been a very successful team in the history of the league straight after that.
“So the challenge has been fantastic for us and the opportunity for us is huge.
“I just hope we can showcase the football that we’re capable of producing, along with the tough stuff that we’ve been known for in recent times.
“If we can do that, it’s going to be a good one for us.”
In terms of the team standing in their way, Peters believes that the Sky Blues still pose a major threat despite having failed to win any of their last seven games.
“I think they’re defensively very good and are still a very difficult side to play against,” he said.
“They’ve had a 0-0 draw against Adelaide and a 0-0 draw against Melbourne Victory in recent times, two good sides and they obviously beat us earlier this season, so we have to make sure we’re not taking anything for granted.
“I think if we play the football we’re capable of playing, we can put ourselves in a good space to get the three points.”
In early team news, the Head Coach went on to reveal that long-term injury absentee Natalie Tathem could make a welcome return to action and may be one of several new inclusions in the squad.
“There’ll be three or four different faces,” he said.
“It’s more from a planning perspective because obviously it’s important that we don’t fatigue the same players.
“Nat’s very close and there have been a couple of other players who have been doing really well, like Tanika Lala.
“So we’ll see how we go.”
Wednesday’s opponents began the season strongly by collecting nine points from their first five games, which included a 2-0 win over Glory in Round 3, but they have struggled since and have failed to score in six of their last seven outings.
None of Ante Juric’s charges have managed to score more than once or contribute more than one assist, but their midfield options have been bolstered by the recent return to full fitness of former Glory favourite Hana Lowry.
Other players to look out for include abrasive defender Tori Tumeth, dangerous attacking midfielder Bianca Galic, Panamanian forward Riley Tanner and 15-year-old starlet Willa Pearson.
The last two meetings between the sides in WA have both ended with the points being shared and overall, Sydney have secured 19 wins to Glory’s ten.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2025/26 Season Round 10
Perth Glory v Sydney FC
Sam Kerr Football Centre
Wednesday 28 January 2026
Kick-off: 7pm
#ONEGlory
ALW Match Preview: Chance to seize second spot driving Glory
