Adelaide United’s road to the 2026/27 season officially got underway on Tuesday night, with the Reds returning to the pitch for their annual pre-season community fixture against Cove FC at the Southern Soccer Facility.
In front of a strong crowd of supporters, United recorded a 5-0 victory, with goals from Pana Kikianis, Ryan Kitto, Luke Duzel, Juan Muñiz and Luka Blažević.
While the result was secondary, the evening provided valuable minutes for Airton Andrioli’s squad, with a more experienced line-up taking the field in the opening half before a youthful group continued the work after the break.
For Andrioli, simply getting back out onto the pitch was the biggest positive.
“It’s good to be back,” he said. “We had our first week back on the training track last week and the boys have been training really well.
“But at this time of the year you’re looking for matches, so it’s great to come back down to Cove again. We’ve been doing this for the last few years and it was fantastic to see so many people here tonight.”
The fixture has become a regular feature of Adelaide United’s pre-season, giving supporters the opportunity to get up close with the squad while strengthening the Club’s connection with the South Australian football community.
“It was great to engage with the community and continue building throughout this pre-season,” Andrioli said. “We’re a people’s club and we want to stay close to our local clubs and the football community across Adelaide.
“It’s very important that we continue doing nights like this.”
With the Australia Cup tie against South Melbourne and an AFC Champions League Elite Play-Off against Vietnamese champions CĂ´ng an HĂ Ná»™i FC looming on 11th August, every minute on the pitch is crucial.
Rather than focusing on results, Andrioli said the priority is building match fitness and sharpening the squad ahead of a busy start to the campaign.
“It’s about getting the feeling for a match again,” he said. “We had an internal game last week, but playing against different opposition is always different.
“We’re continuing our preparation for the first Australia Cup game, which is coming up quickly, so it’s about getting the legs moving again, getting the body used to match conditions and continuing to build.”
The Reds will continue that preparation with another community fixture against Playford next week before turning their attention to competitive football.
“It’s day by day and week by week,” Andrioli said. “The players came back in excellent condition and they’re excited.
“We’ll continue building our fitness and use these matches to consolidate the way we want to play before the season begins.”
With pre-season now underway and competitive fixtures fast approaching, the Reds’ journey towards another exciting campaign has officially begun.
