As young Sydney FC gun Patrick Yazbek packs his bags for Norway, head coach Steven Corica is looking to turn the A-League side's disappointing season around quickly.
Thanks to a rumoured record $750,000 transfer fee for the club, Yazbek will join Socceroo and former Melbourne Victory striker Nick D'Agostino at Norwegian club Viking FK on February 18.
"A lot of these boys want to go overseas and we're not going to stop them," Corica told reporters on Friday.
"We want to make them better players to fulfill their ambitions overseas."
On home turf though, Corica has a major task ahead of Saturday's clash against second-placed Central Coast Mariners at Allianz Stadium.
The Sky Blues sit eighth on the ladder after a reprieve last weekend when goals from Max Burgess and Adam le Fondre secured a crucial 2-1 win against Melbourne Victory.
But the side's track record at home has been far from spectacular, securing only one win this season.
"Home form needs to improve and that starts this week," Corica said.
After three months on the bench no thanks to a groin injury, the recent return of defender and captain Alex Wilkinson is expected to boost the Sky Blues' push for a top-six spot.
"He's sort of steadied the ship a little bit at the back there," Corica said.
"He's a great leader and I think that's helped our defensive qualities."
Further north, Mariners coach Nick Montgomery is thirsty for a win after a jaw-clenching free kick hit the crossbar in the 95th minute against Western Sydney last weekend, the two high-ranking teams eventually finishing 2-2.
"If that bounced in, the whole stadium would've erupted," Montgomery said.
"On reflection, we gave away two sloppy goals, they both could have been avoided."
While an away game can dull a team's spirits, Mariners midfielder Max Balard said the players were up to the task.
"I love away clashes, I love the underdog spirit we have when we have the crowd against us," he said.
"We really rally together and work as a group."
The ALM game will kick off at 5pm on Saturday after Sydney FC women take on Melbourne City.
