It will have been scant consolation that they saw off the same opponent by a comfortable 4-1 scoreline on Friday in Shepparaton in their final seasonal lead-up, but Joyce's men will at least know they will come into Saturday night's clash in fine form and with a range of goalscorers: their strikes against the Wanderers came from defender Harrison Delbridge, French import Florin Berenguer, former Socceroo Dario Vidosic and former Newcastle attacking midfielder Riley McGree.

Jamieson takes the armband for the new season, having joined the club in 2017.

“Being named captain is an honour and I look forward to leading out such a talented bunch of players. I’m confident that we make our fans proud this season and if I can be the first Melbourne City captain to lift the title, it’ll be very special.”

Baccus previously played for the Wanderers, where he spent four years and played 74 matches.

“Michael O’Halloran has been training well so losing him to injury is unfortunate, but we’ve secured a quality replacement in Kearyn Baccus,” said Warren Joyce.

“Kearyn will add quality and brings a wealth of experience to the squad, helping to maintain the current tough competition for places.”

Baccus said: “I’m excited to have a fresh opportunity at Melbourne City and will be doing all I can to support the team over these next few months.''