For the second game running, Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury has lined up as a central defensive midfielder for new Swiss side Grasshopper FC.
After joining the club from Jiangsu Suning, Sainsbury debuted off the bench for the side on April 1 in a 2-0 loss to Thun before starting both proceeding games against Zurich and St Gallen.
Having made his name as a central defender, the Aussie's two starts for Grasshopper have seen him deployed as a deep lying central midfielder in a surprise positional switch.
The results in both encounters haven't been ideal for the club however with a 1-1 draw against Zurich followed by a 2-1 loss to St Gallen that leaves them sixth in the Super League.
The 26-year-old saw game time hard to come by in 2017 with Jiangsu only playing him five times and a loan spell to Inter ending with just one appearance off the bench.
Sainsbury played a key part of the Socceroos defensive line-up that secured a place at the 2018 World Cup and though sitting out recent friendlies against Norway and Colombia due to injury, he is expected to slot straight back into the Australian defence for Russia should he remain fit.
As it stands, the Socceroos midfield is stocked full of talent so it's hard to see Sainsbury's positional switch extending to the national set-up.