Western Sydney Wanderers v Leeds United: friendly game – live!













WSW starting XI





Leeds Utd starting XI









Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to live minute-by-minute coverage of Western Sydney Wanderers vs Leeds United from Bankwest Stadium. Kick-off is 7pm local time (10am UK).

Tonight’s fixture is a homecoming celebration for the Wanderers as they finally return to their Parramatta base three years after hitting the road to allow dramatic renovations to take place. They left an atmospheric but scruffy rectangular facility and return to a state of the art 30,000 capacity arena complete with a dedicated safe standing section – the first of its kind in Australia.

Before the Wanderers upped sticks the matchday atmosphere at its best rivalled that of any in the country. Back in Wanderland and with their core support free to stand, expectations are high that Western Sydney will once again become synonymous with the sound and colour and energy that can make live football such a visceral experience.

While rugby league has enjoyed the new facilities already, tonight is the first time football gets to test the place out and Leeds United have arrived to provide some European glamour to the occasion. For the Championship side it’s the final stop on a two-match Australian tour and Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping to end it on a better note than his side’s opening outing, a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in Perth.

For the Wanderers it’s the first test of the preseason and the first chance to take stock of what appears to be a much-improved squad. Markus Babbel has stiffened his defence and added experience to his midfield during the transfer window, the outcome being an altogether more balanced proposition than the outfit that failed to make last season’s finals.

Don’t forget, if you want to join in the action you can do so by email or feel free to find me on Twitter.

Western Sydney Wanderers appear for the first time at Bankwest Stadium against Leeds United.

source: theguardian.com