Soccer: No Yorke, now Sydney hit by red-card 'madness'

Ill-disciplined Sydney FC will be without two key players for Thursday night's visit to the Knights at North Harbour Stadium.

Defending A-League champions Sydney, coached by former England international Terry Butcher, will be missing influential attacker Steve Corica, who was red carded for abusing referee Matthew Breeze in their 2-2 draw with Newcastle Jets at the weekend.

Corica was ordered off in the 68th minute for calling Breeze a cheat. He gets an automatic one-game ban, with the possibility of further sanctions when he appears before a judicial committee tomorrow night. He is the third Sydney player sent off this season.

"We're committing hara-kiri really by sheer stupidity. I've got no complaints with the referee whatsoever," Butcher said.

On top of that, Butcher has dumped defender Alvin Ceccoli, who had a bust up with Butcher on the sideline during the match at Aussie Stadium, for the trip to Auckland.

Ceccoli disagreed with instructions from Butcher and allegedly told him to " ... off". Butcher replaced Ceccoli six minutes after the incident.

It's been a tough start to the season for Sydney, who have lost star striker Dwight Yorke, who has returned to link up at English championship club Sunderland and his old Manchester United teammate Roy Keane, and have won only one of their first four games and sit fourth, two spots and one point ahead of the Knights.

The Knights can use any help wayward Sydney offer.

After an encouraging draw-win start, they have lost their last two games with a combined goal aggregate of 0-8.