Sydney FC must nullify threat of former Melbourne City playmaker Tolgay Arslan

One of the A-League best players from last season looms as Sydney FC’s biggest threat in Japan on Wednesday night.

Sydney FC will need to overcome the threat of former A-League star Tolgay Arslan on Wednesday night to maintain the club’s perfect start to its AFC Champions League Two campaign.

The Sky Blues will chase a third successive Group E win when they face Arslan’s Japanese outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Edion Peace Wing stadium.

Arslan joined Sanfrecce in July soon after his controversial exit from Melbourne City.

The 34-year-old German playmaker was City’s best player last season and one of the competition’s standout performers.

His departure came as a shock considering he had a year to run on his City contract, with “family reasons” given as one of the reasons Arslan asked for his deal to be terminated.

However, it’s understood that City’s failure to follow through with its promise to offer Arslan a contract extension on the same terms as his existing deal led to the split.

Arslan has helped Sanfrecce move to the top of the J1 League ladder since his arrival.

With four rounds of the JI competition remaining, first-placed Sanfrecce is a point clear of Vissel Kobe, with Machida Zelvia, the club of Socceroos striker Mitchell Duke, four points further adrift in third spot.

“It’s never easy to come in mid-season but the coaches Michael Skibbe and Serhat Umar made it easier for me to adapt,” Arslan told ESPN last week.

Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay expects a tough challenge in Japan. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

Sydney coach Ufuk Talay acknowledged the threat that Arslan posed to the Sky Blues.

“He’s a very good player,” Talay said of the former Udinese (Italy) and Besiktas (Turkey) star.

“He’s very technical, creates a lot of scoring opportunities and scores goals himself.

“He’s played for some very big clubs, and he’s come to a good team in Hiroshima.

“They’ve got other good players, not just Tolgay. Overall, we just need to focus on our game, and hopefully what we do is enough to get the win.”

Confidence is high in Sydney’s camp after the weekend’s 2-1 derby win over the Wanderers, a match that included impressive performances from potent attacking trio Douglas Costa, Joe Lolley and Patryk Klimala, and midfielder Anthony Caceres.

“Everyone’s pulled up well from the derby, which is great for us,” Talay said.

“We’ve come here to play to win.”

Like Sydney, Sanfrecce also has six points from two Champions League Two Group E games.

“It’s not going to be an easy game but we’re looking forward to the challenge.” Talay said.

The game is part of a busy week for the Sydneysiders, who following the match will fly straight to New Zealand for Sunday’s A-League battle with newcomers Auckland FC at Go Media Stadium.

“We’ll assess things after the game (on Wednesday night), and if we need to make tweaks, we’ll make tweaks for the game in Auckland,” Talay said.