Young talent time for Sydney FC in ACL2 clash

Fringe Sydney FC players will be out to impress coach Ufuk Talay when they face off against Kaya FC-Iloilo for their final AFC Champions League 2 group-stage match.

Having already sealed a spot in the round of 16, Talay is set to unveil a new-look Sky Blues line-up for Thursday's match against Filipino club Kaya at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.

Sydney are second (nine points) in Group E after thrashing Hong Kong team Eastern Sports Club last Thursday, while Kaya are third with four points.

"We'll give an opportunity to some young players, some players that possibly haven't had as much game time," Talay said on Wednesday.

"I know what they have. I know their ability. It's more so providing that opportunity to be able to play.

"Unfortunately, they're playing at a big club where we have some big names in certain positions and then sometimes they don't get the opportunity.

"We'll still have some senior players that have played regular football in the squad, so it'll be a balance of some youth and some experienced players."

Emerging talents Jaiden Kucharski and Corey Hollman are a chance to feature in Talay's starting line-up, alongside teenagers Tiago Quintal and Patrick Kennedy.

Off-season recruit Harrison Devenish-Meares will retain his spot while first-choice goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne recovers from a corked thigh.

Redmayne suffered a massive knock to his upper thigh after a collision with teammate Joe Lolley during their A-League Men win over Western Sydney.

Devenish-Meares has played two games for the Sky Blues, joining the club in June for his first A-League stint after starting his career in Romania.

"Every match that I play is like a World Cup final," Devenish-Meares said.

"For me, in a competitive goalkeeping squad, every minute that I get is important.

"I said to one of the other goalkeepers at the beginning of the season, every opportunity you get to perform under any circumstances is important.

"It's almost just as important to play even when things are stacked up against you."

Sydney dominated Kaya in their last ACL2 meeting, erasing an early deficit to secure a 4-2 win in hot conditions at Manila's Rizal Memorial Stadium.