Neill, Ono set to return for Sydney derby

By FOX Sports staff

The Australia captain, who has missed the last two weeks with a calf injury, participated in a full training sessions with his team-mates on Tuesday, and according the The Age, the club have confirmed he will reclaim his spot in manager Frank Farina's starting XI on Saturday.

The derby, which is expected to be sold out, is shaping as a must-win game for Sydney if they are to keep alive their hopes of finishing in the top six and qualifying for the finals series.

With only two rounds remaining, the Sky Blues are currently fifth on the table but Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory and Melbourne, who are 7th to 9th respectively, all still have a mathematical chance of overtaking them and 6th-placed Newcastle Jets.

While Sydney are set to regain Neill for Saturday's game, the Wanderers are also likely to welcome back Japanese star Shinji Ono, who missed the 3-1 win over Melbourne Heart due to a hamstring complaint but trained briefly on Tuesday.

Nonetheless, Western Sydney will have to do without a trio of players with Jerome Polenz and Aaron Mooy out injured, while winger Youssouf Hersi is missing through suspension.

Although coach Tony Popovic is yet to confirm who will take this places in the side, he is backing whoever gets the nod to do the job, as his team look to maintain their bid to finish top of the pile in their maiden campaign in Australian football's top flight.

"I think everyone's played a part already [in the season] and whoever comes in, it won't be a first for them," he told The Age.

"They'll come in, they know how we want to play. They've tasted it.

"We've put trust in them throughout the year and we won't hesitate to do that again. Whoever gets the opportunity will have our full backing.

"We've played players in the past when they've least expected it and they've done a great job, and even players that have come off the bench - they've never let us down.

"They're great professionals and they work extremely hard and they wait for an opportunity. I'm always pleased when they come in and take it."

Although Polenz was expected to be out for four weeks, Popovic revealed his quadriceps injury is not as bad as initially feared.

"We thought it might be a long-term injury," he added. "But after reviewing the scans the medical staff are quite confident he could be back sooner rather than later."

Victory on Saturday will guarantee Western Sydney the premiers crown given they would lead closest challengers Brisbane Roar by a minimum of five points with only one game remaining.