Championship-winning midfielders Mathew Leckie and Andreas Kuen have both been cleared to take on Western Sydney Wanderers this Saturday in City’s Isuzu UTE A-League season opener.
The pair missed the team’s most recent AFC Champions League Elite clash through minor hamstring and quad injuries respectively, but have now been passed fit and are available for selection in Round 1 of the ALM season.
20-year-old winger Ben Mazzeo is also now available after missing the trip to Japan with a minor knee issue.
While not yet ready for Round 1, Medin Memeti continues to make strong progress from a hamstring injury sustained earlier in pre-season and is expected to be back in contention for selection over the next couple of weeks.
Andrew Nabbout is now in the final stages of his ACL rehabilitation from the injury sustained in November last year. Having recently returned to full training, the winger is expected to make his return in the early rounds of the season.
Unfortunately, longer stints on the sidelines await Lawrence Wong and Ale Lopane after the young duo recently underwent surgery.
A training incident saw Wong suffer a ruptured MCL, which he is currently in the early stages of rehabbing. A separate incident involving an awkward landing resulted in Lopane requiring a full ankle reconstruction.
Both players are progressing well through the initial stages of their recovery. While an exact timeframe for return will become clearer as they advance through rehab, both are likely to be back in training by the end of the year.
Finally, James Nieuwenhuizen continues to progress through the final stages of his ACL rehabilitation after sustaining the injury in March. The young goalkeeper is expected to be available for selection in early 2026.
| Player | Injury | Expected Return |
| Medin MEMETI | Hamstring | 1-2 weeks |
| Andrew NABBOUT | ACL | 2-3 weeks |
| James NIEUWENHUIZEN | ACL | January 2026 |
| Lawrence WONG | MCL | TBC |
| Alessandro LOPANE | Ankle | TBC |
