Sydney FC’s squad will let the fans decide what type of reception their former coach receives in the A-League Men season opener, but for some players it will be personal.
Ufuk Talay quit the Sky Blues last March and subsequently signed a two-year deal with crosstown rivals Western Sydney.
Friday night's derby at Allianz Stadium promises plenty, including Talay facing some hostility from members of The Cove, but defender Jordan Courtney-Perkins told the media on Thursday what is top of mind for some of Sydney's players.
"There's a few of us in the team that want to show him and prove something to him," Courtney-Perkins said.
"I think for me personally, it's more about focusing on myself and my own performance.
"Obviously last year was frustrating for me ... not getting the sort of minutes that I thought I deserved or that I wanted."
Discontent had built among Sky Blues fans with Talay’s style of play, the club's results and his overseas recruits.
The links to the Wanderers appeared to be the final straw.
The 49-year-old had a clause in his contract for Sydney to trigger a new deal for the 2026-27 season, but the club's hierarchy declined to activate it.
Courtney-Perkins added it'll be left for the fans to decide what sort of reception Talay receives from the opposing dugout.
Talay acknowledged the potential booing at his own press conference on Monday.
"That's all part of the game at the end of the day. I’ll be here to prepare the boys and get them to try and perform at their best," he said.
"The game is always quiet feisty. I’ve had some very joyous moments on the other side of the fence. Hopefully we can do that now with the Wanderers.
"The group has had very good buy in and a very good belief in what we’re trying to do."
Sydney FC have that same belief.
When Patrick Kisnorbo took over as head coach last season, they were sitting fifth with four matches left in the regular season.
He got them to the grand final, where they lost to Auckland FC.
But getting back to the decider in May was an improvement after missing out on finals in the campaign prior.
"I think that was really positive for us, and there is a lot of belief within the group now," Courtney-Perkins said.
"Everyone's raring to go."
