2023–24 Melbourne City FC season

The 2023–24 season is the 14th in the history of Melbourne City Football Club, and the 10th since the club was taken over by the City Football Group. In addition to the A-League Men, Melbourne City participated in the Australia Cup for the ninth time, and is participating in the AFC Champions League for the second time. They are managed by Rado Vidošić.

Melbourne City
2023–24 season
OwnerCity Football Group
ChairmanKhaldoon Al Mubarak
ManagerRado Vidošić
StadiumAAMI Park
A-League Men10th
Australia CupSemi-finals
AFC Champions LeagueGroup stage
Top goalscorerLeague: Tolgay Arslan (1)
All: Tolgay Arslan (5)
Highest home attendance10,089
vs. Western United
(21 October 2023)
A-League Men
Lowest home attendance1,153
vs. Wellington Phoenix
(27 August 2023)
Australia Cup
Biggest win3–0
vs. Wellington Phoenix (H)
(27 August 2023)
Australia Cup
Biggest defeat1–2
vs. Sydney FC (H)
(24 September 2022)
Australia Cup
1–2
vs. Western United (H)
(21 October 2023)
Australia Cup
All statistics correct as of 21 October 2023.

Players

First-team squad

[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Jamie Young
2 DF Australia AUS Scott Galloway
4 DF Portugal POR Nuno Reis
6 MF Australia AUS Steven Ugarkovic
7 FW Australia AUS Mathew Leckie
8 MF Morocco MAR Hamza Sakhi (on loan from Auxerre)
9 FW Australia AUS Jamie Maclaren (captain)
10 MF Germany GER Tolgay Arslan
11 FW Brazil BRA Léo Natel (on loan from Corinthians)
15 FW Australia AUS Andrew Nabbout
16 DF Australia AUS Aziz Behich
17 MF Australia AUS Terry Antonis
18 DF Australia AUS Jordon Hall
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Australia AUS Alessandro Lopane
22 DF Australia AUS Curtis Good
25 DF Australia AUS Callum Talbot
26 DF France FRA Samuel Souprayen
33 GK Australia AUS Patrick Beach
34 FW Australia AUS Arion Sulemani
35 MF Australia AUS Zane Schreiber
37 FW Australia AUS Max Caputo
38 DF Australia AUS Harry Politidis
39 MF Australia AUS Emin Durakovic
40 GK Australia AUS James Nieuwenhuizen (Scholarship)
44 FW Croatia CRO Marin Jakoliš (on loan from Angers)

Transfers

Transfers in
No. Position Player Transferred from Type/fee Contract length Date Ref.
33GK Patrick Beach Central Coast Mariners Academy Free transfer 3 years 14 June 2023 [2][3]
10MF Germany Tolgay Arslan Italy Udinese Free transfer 2 years 15 June 2023 [4]
21MF Alessandro Lopane Unattached Free transfer 2 years 23 June 2023 [3]
35MF Zane Schreiber Sydney FC NPL Free transfer 3 years 23 June 2023 [3]
6MF Steven Ugarkovic Unattached Free transfer 2 years 30 June 2023 [5]
1GK England Jamie Young Unattached Free transfer 1 year 4 July 2023 [6]
17MF Terry Antonis Unattached Free transfer 1 year 6 July 2023 [7]
26DF France Samuel Souprayen Unattached Free transfer 2 years 10 July 2023 [8]
44FW Croatia Marin Jakoliš France Angers Loan 1 year 2 August 2023 [9]
16DF Aziz Behich Scotland Dundee United Undisclosed 2 years 6 August 2023 [10][11]
8MF Morocco Hamza Sakhi France Auxerre Loan 1 year 17 August 2023 [12]
11FW Brazil Léo Natel Brazil Corinthians Loan 1 year 15 September 2023 [13]

From youth squad
No. Position Player Age Date Notes Ref.
45DF Harry Politidis 21 25 September 2022 1 year contract [14]

Transfers out
No. Position Player Transferred to Type/fee Date Ref.
38 DF Jordan Bos Belgium Westerlo $2,000,000 16 May 2023 [15]
3DF Scott Jamieson Retired 4 June 2023 [16]
14MF Kosovo Valon Berisha France Reims End of loan 9 June 2023 [17]
33 GK Matt Sutton Unattached End of contract 9 June 2023 [17]
35 FW Raphael Borges Rodrigues Unattached End of contract 9 June 2023 [17]
36 DF Kerrin Stokes Unattached End of contract 9 June 2023 [17]
1 GK Tom Glover Unattached End of contract 9 June 2023 [18]
13 MF Aiden O'Neill Unattached End of contract 9 June 2023 [18]
6DF Finland Thomas Lam Unattached Mutual contract termination 13 June 2023 [19]
8MF Netherlands Richard van der Venne Unattached Mutual contract termination 13 June 2023 [19]
23 FW Marco Tilio Scotland Celtic Undisclosed 30 June 2023 [20]
30 MF Luke Oresti Central Coast Mariners Academy Mutual contract termination 8 July 2023 [21][22]
10MF France Florin Berenguer Unattached End of contract 9 August 2023 [23]

Contract extensions
No. Player Position Duration Date Notes
34Arion SulemaniFW3 years22 June 2023New 3-year contract replacing previous scholarship contract which was set to expire in 2024.[24]
39Emin DurakovicMF3 years22 June 2023New 3-year contract replacing previous scholarship contract which was set to expire in 2024.[24]
37Max CaputoFW3 years13 July 2023[25]
18Jordon HallDF1 year9 August 2023[26]

Pre-season and friendlies

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

2 August 2023 Western United 3–1 Melbourne City Melbourne
12:30 AEST
  • Danzaki 13'
  • Bisetto 95'
  • Najdovski 104'
 Report
Stadium: The Hangar
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
Note: Match was played over three 45-minute periods
9 August 2023 Dandenong Thunder 1–3 Melbourne City Melbourne
19:30 AEST
  •  ? 55'
 Report
Stadium: George Andrews Reserve
23 August 2023 Melbourne City 1–0 Western United Melbourne
AEST
Report Stadium: Casey Fields
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)

Competitions

Overall record
Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
A-League Men 21 October 2023 28 April 2024 Matchday 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 000.00
Australia Cup 13 August 2023 24 September 2023 Round of 32 Semi-finals 4 3 0 1 9 5 +4 075.00
AFC Champions League 20 September 2023 Group stage 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 050.00
Total 7 4 1 2 12 8 +4 057.14

Last updated: 21 October 2023
Source: Soccerway

A-League Men
Main article: 2023–24 A-League Men

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
8 Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 1] 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1[lower-alpha 2]
9 Western Sydney Wanderers 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1[lower-alpha 2] Qualification for 2024 Australia Cup play-offs
10 Melbourne City 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0
11 Sydney FC 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0 Qualification for AFC Champions League 2 and 2024 Australia Cup play-offs[lower-alpha 3]
12 Central Coast Mariners 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0 Qualification for 2024 Australia Cup play-offs
Updated to match(es) played on 22 October 2023. Source: Keepup.com.au
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) wins; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) head-to-head results; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.[27]
Notes:
  1. Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is under the Oceania Football Confederation.
  2. Fair play points: Wellington Phoenix –1, Western Sydney Wanderers –2.
  3. Qualified for AFC Champions League 2 as the 2023 Australia Cup winners.

Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
1 0 0 1 1 2  −1 0 0 0 1 1 2  −1 0 0 0 0 0  0

Results by round
Round123456789101127131415161718192021222324252612
GroundHAHHAAAHHHANAHAAHAAHAHAHAHH
ResultL
Position10
Points0
Updated to match(es) played on 22 October 2023. Source: Ultimate A-League
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 24 August 2023.[28]

21 October 2023 1 Melbourne City 1–2 Western United Melbourne
17:30 AEDT
Report
Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 10,089
Referee: Jack Morgan
29 October 2023 2 Adelaide United v Melbourne City Adelaide
18:30 ACDT Report Stadium: Coopers Stadium
3 November 2023 3 Melbourne City v Sydney FC Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
12 November 2023 4 Melbourne City v Macarthur FC Melbourne
15:00 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
25 November 2023 5 Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne City Auckland
17:30 NZDT Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
3 December 2023 6 Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City Newcastle
17:00 AEDT Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium
8 December 2023 7 Perth Glory v Melbourne City Perth
18:45 AWST Report Stadium: HBF Park
17 December 2023 8 Melbourne City v Central Coast Mariners Melbourne
17:00 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
23 December 2023 9 Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
28 December 2023 10 Melbourne City v Brisbane Roar Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
7 January 2024 11 Western United v Melbourne City TBD
17:00 AEDT Report Stadium: TBD
12 January 2024 27 Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney
TBC AEDT Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
21 January 2024 13 Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne City Gosford
17:00 AEDT Report Stadium: Industree Group Stadium
25 January 2024 14 Melbourne City v Adelaide United Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
2 February 2024 15 Perth Glory v Melbourne City Perth
18:45 AWST Report Stadium: HBF Park
10 February 2024 16 Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City Brisbane
17:00 AEST Report Stadium: Suncorp Stadium
17 February 2024 17 Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory Melbourne
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
24 February 2024 18 Sydney FC v Melbourne City Sydney
17:30 AEDT Report Stadium: Allianz Stadium
1 March 2024 19 Macarthur FC v Melbourne City Sydney
19:45 AEDT Report Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium
9 March 2024 20 Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
17:30 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
17 March 2024 21 Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne City Gosford
17:00 AEDT Report Stadium: Industree Group Stadium
30 March 2024 22 Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets Melbourne
TBD Report Stadium: AAMI Park
6 April 2024 23 Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City Melbourne
TBD Report Stadium: AAMI Park
14 April 2024 24 Melbourne City v Perth Glory Melbourne
TBD Report Stadium: AAMI Park
20 April 2024 25 Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne City Sydney
TBD Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
28 April 2024 26 Melbourne City v Western United Melbourne
TBD Report Stadium: AAMI Park
29 April 2024 12 Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers Melbourne
TBC AEST Report Stadium: AAMI Park
Note: Originally scheduled for 13 January 2024, was moved due to Unite Round.[29]

Australia Cup
Main article: 2023 Australia Cup
13 August 2023 Round of 32 Oakleigh Cannons 2–3 Melbourne City Melbourne
14:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Jack Edwards Reserve
Attendance: 2,652
Referee: Adam Kersey
27 August 2023 Round of 16 Melbourne City 3–0 Wellington Phoenix Melbourne
14:00 AEST
Report Stadium: Jack Edwards Reserve
Attendance: 1,153
Referee: Lachlan Keevers
14 September 2023 Quarter-finals North Eastern MetroStars 1–2 Melbourne City Adelaide
19:00 ACST
  • Ayoubi 27'
 Report
Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve
Attendance: 2,022
Referee: Shaun Evans
24 September 2023 Semi-finals Melbourne City 1–2 Sydney FC Melbourne
15:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 2,267
Referee: Jack Morgan

AFC Champions League
Main article: 2023–24 AFC Champions League

The draw for the group stage was held on 24 August 2023.

Group stage
Main article: 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage § Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MCY VEN BUR ZHP
1 Australia Melbourne City 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Advance to Round of 16 — 0–0 8 Nov 12 Dec
2 Japan Ventforet Kofu 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4 Possible Round of 16 29 Nov — 1–0 8 Nov
3 Thailand Buriram United 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2 3 25 Oct 12 Dec — 4–1
4 China Zhejiang 2 0 0 2 2 6 −4 0 1–2 25 Oct 29 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 4 October 2023. Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
20 September 2023 1 Melbourne City Australia 0–0 Japan Ventforet Kofu Melbourne
20:00 AEDT Report Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
Attendance: 3,245
Referee: Salman Ahmad Falahi (Qatar)
4 October 2023 (2023-10-04) 2 Zhejiang China 1–2 Australia Melbourne City Huzhou, China
20:00 UTC+8
Report
Stadium: Huzhou Olympic Sports Centre
Attendance: 18,798
Referee: Hanna Hattab (Syria)
25 October 2023 3 Buriram United Thailand v Australia Melbourne City Buriram, Thailand
17:00 IT Stadium: Buriram Stadium
8 November 2023 4 Melbourne City Australia v Thailand Buriram United Melbourne
20:00 AEDT Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
29 November 2023 5 Ventforet Kofu Japan v Australia Melbourne City Tokyo, Japan
19:00 JST Stadium: Japan National Stadium
12 December 2023 6 Melbourne City Australia v China Zhejiang Melbourne
20:00 AEDT Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.

As of 21 October 2023
No. Pos. Nat. Player A-League Men Australia Cup AFC Champions League Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK England Jamie Young 10 40 20 70
2 DF Australia Scott Galloway 00 0+10 0+10 20
4 DF Portugal Nuno Reis 10 30 20 60
6 DF Australia Steven Ugarkovic 10 40 20 70
7 FW Australia Mathew Leckie 00 20 00 20
8 MF Morocco Hamza Sakhi 10 30 20 60
9 FW Australia Jamie Maclaren 10 33 20 63
10 MF Germany Tolgay Arslan 11 44 20 75
11 FW Brazil Léo Natel 0+10 00 00 10
15 MF Australia Andrew Nabbout 00 0+10 00 10
16 DF Australia Aziz Behich 10 30 21 61
17 MF Australia Terry Antonis 0+10 0+40 0+10 60
18 DF Australia Jordon Hall 00 2+10 00 30
21 MF Australia Alessandro Lopane 10 31 10 51
22 DF Australia Curtis Good 10 31 20 61
25 DF Australia Callum Talbot 10 30 10 50
26 DF France Samuel Souprayen 00 2+10 1+10 50
35 MF Australia Zane Schreiber 00 0+20 00 20
37 MF Australia Max Caputo 0+10 1+20 11 51
38 DF Australia Harry Politidis 00 0+10 00 10
44 FW Croatia Marin Jakoliš 10 40 20 70
50 FW Australia Medin Memeti 00 0+10 00 10
53 DF Australia Harrison Shillington 00 0+10 00 10

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.

As of 21 October 2023
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name A-League Men Australia Cup AFC Champions League Total
Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card Yellow card Yellow card Yellow-red card Red card
1 5 MF Australia Steven Ugarkovic 000 100 200 300
16 DF Australia Aziz Behich 000 100 100 200
3 8 MF Morocco Hamza Sakhi 100 000 000 100
10 MF Germany Tolgay Arslan 000 000 100 100
18 DF Australia Jordon Hall 000 100 000 100
25 DF Australia Callum Talbot 100 000 000 100
37 FW Australia Max Caputo 000 000 100 100
Total 200 300 500 1000

Clean sheets

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start and end of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

As of 21 October 2023
Rank No. Nat. Goalkeeper A-League Men Australia Cup AFC Champions
League		 Total
1 1 England Jamie Young 011 2
Total0112

References
  1. "Squads: Men". Melbourne City FC. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. "Two youngsters depart Mariners academy". Football NSW. 14 June 2023.
  3. "CITY SWOOP ON YOUNG TRIO:Beach, Lopane, Schreiber make City Move". Melbourne City. 23 June 2023.
  4. "Melbourne City signs experienced German midfielder, Tolgay Arslan". Melbourne City. 15 June 2023.
  5. "City signs Australian midfielder Steven Ugarkovic, on multi-year deal". Melbourne City. 30 June 2023.
  6. "City signs experienced Australian goalkeeper, Jamie Young". Melbourne City. 4 July 2023.
  7. "Terry Antonis joins City ahead of 2023/24 season". Melbourne City. 6 July 2023.
  8. "Bienvenu Samuel:City signs former Ligue 1 and Serie A defender". Melbourne City. 10 July 2023.
  9. "Dobro došao, Marin: Croatian forward joins City on loan". Melbourne City. 2 August 2023.
  10. "Aziz Behich signs for Melbourne City". Melbourne City. 6 August 2023.
  11. Temple, Alan (6 August 2023). "Aziz Behich leaves Dundee United as Melbourne City swoop for Australia ace". The Courier.
  12. "Hamza Sakhi signs for Melbourne City". Melbourne City. 17 August 2023.
  13. "Brazillian winger, Leo Natel, joins City on loan". Melbourne City. 15 September 2023.
  14. "Melbourne City academy graduate signs senior contract". Melbourne City. 25 September 2023.
  15. "Australian record transfer sees Jordan Bos move to Belgian Pro League". Melbourne City. 16 May 2023.
  16. Smithies, Tom (28 May 2023). "Never shy but now retiring: The moments with his son that will stay with Scott Jamieson for a lifetime". KeepUp.
  17. "ALM Squad Update:City confrim four departures". Melbourne City. 9 June 2023.
  18. "Tom Glover and Aiden O'Neill depart City in search of opportunities abroad". Melbourne City. 9 June 2023.
  19. "Lam and van der Venne farewell City and return to Europe". Melbourne City. 13 June 2023.
  20. "Marco Tilio joins Celtic FC in record-breaking transfer". Melbourne City. 30 June 2023.
  21. "NPL NSW Men's U20 Central Coast Mariners FC21 Wollongong". Football NSW. 8 July 2023.
  22. @scout_aussie (8 July 2023). "Appears that Melbourne City midfielder Luke Oresti (2003) has joined the Central Coast Mariners. Oresti made 2 first-team appearances for City, both in the Australia Cup. He appeared for the Mariners in NPL U20s today vs. Wollongong" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. "Florin Berenguer to depart City after 5 seasons". Melbourne City. 9 August 2023.
  24. "ACADEMY DUO LOCKED IN: Durakovic and Sulemani extend stay at City". Melbourne City. 22 June 2023.
  25. "MAX CONTRACT: Academy graduate extends stay at City". Melbourne City. 13 July 2023.
  26. "City re-signs defender Jordon Hall". Melbourne City. 9 August 2023.
  27. "Competition rules".
  28. "Full A-Leagues fixtures released: What you need to know & key talking points". keepup.com.au. 24 August 2023.
  29. "What is Unite Round?". aleagues.com.au. 18 October 2023.
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