Sydney Tigers, previously known as Apia Leichhardt, welcome Vitezslav Lavicka's men to Lambert Park on Wednesday night with a bumper crowd expected to cram into the famous old ground.  

However, the New South Wales Premier League side have switched their home to Leichhardt Oval this season as they look to build their case for a second tier (A-League) slot.  

The club are delighted with life in their new home, which also serves as an occasional  base for Rugby League outfit West Tigers. The football club has retained Lambert Park as their training base.  

They say the move to the bigger venue with better facilities was made to really add weight to their case for inclusion.  

"That's the reason. We wanted to be in a position to make an application to be in the (A-League second tier) league. We have had a lot of positive comments from opponents since making the move to Leichhardt Oval this year," said honorary president Tony Raciti.  

The honorary president also points to the number of players who have come through its ranks and moved on to the A-League as another factor in pressing a strong case.

He said: "Robert Younis, Matthew Nash, Paul Kohler, Marton Vass and David D'Apuzzo all went on to be signed by A-League clubs."  

As well as first grade football, the club is proud of its work in developing programs for youngsters, both boys and girls.  

 While A-League second tier football - reportedly being discussed by an FFA taskforce - may still be some way off, the Sydney Tigers will have the chance to taste the A-League when Sydney FC arrive on Wednesday.  

The match has generated tremendous interest with the club confident it could be heading for a sell-out. Lambert Park can cram in more than 5,000 people and Raciti said: "I think the atmosphere inside the ground will be fantastic and the interest there has been from the inner west has been phenomenal.  

 "Just from the advance tickets sold at the club, I'd say 95 per cent have been taken by people from the inner west. There's a lot of excitement ahead of the game and a lot of work has gone into its promotion," said Raciti.  

Around 1,700 tickets had been snapped up from the club offices on Monday afternoon with ticket sales from another venue yet to be assessed.  

As for the visitors, there is a strong possibility that Sydney FC will give marquee forward John Aloisi his first run out of the pre-season campaign. Sydney have won their opening two trial matches against Macarthur Rams and Bankstown City and are yet to concede a goal.  

Wednesday's match kicks off at 7.15pm with supporters urged to pre-purchase. Further ticket information can be obtained on 9716 6888.