Leena Khamis to face old club Sydney FC in season opener
WESTERN Sydney forward Leena Khamis won’t forget last season’s 4-1 thrashing by Sydney FC in a hurry - because she was playing for the other team.
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WESTERN Sydney forward Leena Khamis won’t forget last season’s 4-1 thrashing by Sydney FC in a hurry - because she was playing for the other team.
Khamis has worn sky blue every year for a decade and started February’s grand-final loss to Melbourne City.
Two weeks prior, in the final fixture of the regular campaign, Sydney belted the Wanderers to consign them to an eighth-place finish.
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Now Khamis is donning the red-and-black strip herself, readying to do battle with her former teammates at Marconi Stadium in tonight’s season-opener.
The 32-year-old isn’t the only one - Remy Siemsen, Caitlin Cooper, Kylie Ledbrook and Georgia Yeoman-Dale all made the off-season crosstown switch too to add spice to an already spiteful tie.
“New territory in these colours,” Khamis said.
“A chunk of us came over. It was a bit (strange) at the start, but once we started pre-season it became normal.
“I’m sure when I walk out for the first time I might get that little feeling, but nothing I can’t handle.
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“There are some nerves flying around but nerves are good, excitement as well. We’re preparing for a physical, tough game between two quality sides.”
History is against the Wanderers, who’ve lost 10 of 12 past match-ups with Sydney and have never made the W-League finals.
But strong domestic and international recruitment and the appointment of Dan Barrett as head coach could be game-changers.
“A fair few of us have played under Dan Barrett before which played a big part in why I went over,” Khamis said.
“We’ve had a great pre-season and there’s a new mentality with goals and aspirations for us as a club, to make a bit of history and make the top four for the first time ever.
“We’ve spoken about the record against Sydney FC too and we want to try and change that as well, starting tomorrow.”