Canberra United recruit Bianca Galic will have her first chance to impress club selectors at a W-League friendly this weekend.
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Vicki Linton's outfit will be put to the test when they play a pre-season match against the Western Sydney Wanderers in Blacktown on Saturday.
It'll be their first clash with a W-League rival leading into 2020-21 season, with Linton eager for a like-for-like assessment of how the team is progressing so far.
The Wanderers boast former United captain Nikola Orgill, who's returned from her Norwegian stint with Kolbotn, as well as Olivia Price and Leena Khamis.
Selectors have started to narrow down their options for United's starting team ahead of their round-one clash with Perth Glory on Tuesday, December 29.
Galic, who has joined United for her first W-League season, is determined to use the friendly to show selectors what she's capable of at national level.
"If I get minutes this weekend, I'm hoping to show everything I've got and hopefully that'll give me a good lead into the season," Galic said.
"The standard has definitely been high across the team and I think we're all fighting for positions right now because we all want to be in the starting XI. It's been good."
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The 21-year-old midfielder has spent the last seven years playing for Sydney University and is now a regular starter in their NSW Premier League side.
Six of her United teammates also played under Sydney University's banner this year, with Galic eager to join them on the W-League stage.
She hopes to establish herself as a W-League player this season and said it would be indescribable to make her debut.
"It's been something I've looked forward to and have wanted for such a long time," Galic said.
"When that day comes, I don't think there'll be words I can put to it."
United have entered their fifth week of pre-season and are expected to announce the leadership group next week.
Linton said the players are gelling well together and their understanding is building everyday, with the coach looking forward to gauging where they're at this weekend.
"It becomes crunch time in some respects. We have a good hit-out on Saturday against Western Sydney so that'll give us a good judge of where we're at," Linton said.
"We've been playing the [Capital Football] TSP boys and that has really helped in preparing us, every week has been better and better.
"This is going to be a good judge for the combinations with all the work we've been doing and from that, we can really prepare for Perth."
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
