Sky Blues coach Graham Arnold confirmed Ibini was close to returning for the Sydney team but won’t be risked against Blacktown City in the FFA Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

“Bernie has been doing all the training with us,” Arnold told the A-League official website.

“We’re not going to risk him on the surface on Wednesday night, but he’s ahead of schedule and he’s looking good for round one.

“Next week we’ve got a game against Adelaide before the competition starts and he’ll get minutes in that.”

Despite Ibini’s absence from the Sky Blues, Arnold believed the winger will fit in well to the team’s new system.

“Tactically he’s fine,” Arnold said.

“We’ve changed our style this year. We’re playing a much higher pressing game and much more physical game in intensity, and Bernie will adapt to that very quickly.

“Conditioning-wise he’s good, he’s always kept himself in good shape with a lot of training and running so physically he feels very well.”

While Ibini is confirmed to miss the FFA Cup tie against Blacktown, Arnold did suggest that new striker Bobô is in line to start for the first time for the A-League side.

“I think Bobô will start, he’s here to play,” Arnold said.

“Everyone is fit, we’ve got two young boys missing in Geroge Blackwood and Geroge Timotheou, they’re away with the U20’s, but apart from Bernie everyone is ready to go.”

Arnold said he was pleased with the fixture being moved to Sydney United Sports Centre, stating the surface quality was perfect for his side.

“We’re looking forward to a good surface at Edensor. We’re going to a field that we played on two years ago, we won 3-1, and a lot of the players are familiar with it,” the Sydney coach said.

“It’s a really good surface. The surfaces that we’ve had to play on in the first couple of rounds of the FFA Cup, and friendly games, on normal grass, have been quite bad, so a flat, good consistent surface is perfect for us.”