Adelaide United FC will welcome back winger Fabio Ferreira as it goes in search of a third win in four when it meets Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium in Round 13 of Harvey Norman Friday Night Football.
Adelaide United FC will welcome back winger Fabio Ferreira as it goes in search of a third win in four when it meets Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium in Round 13 of Harvey Norman Friday Night Football.
Ferreira-s inclusion after a fortnight out with an adductor strain is timely for Reds coach Josep Gombau, who will have to make do without his influential Argentine duo against the Sky Blues.
Jeronimo will serve a one match suspension while Marcelo Carrusca failed to come up after being bruised and battered against the Newcastle Jets last Sunday, Gombau stating he is about to take any risks with his key playmaker.
“Carrusca cannot play. He received a lot of contusions in the last game and one of these contusions is on his knee,” Gombau revealed this morning.
“Yesterday was the last day that we tried to see if he could play but in the middle of training he could not do the drills because he-s not 100 per cent and we-re worried if we push him to play that it could turn into a big problem.”
“I think next week he can play but tomorrow night is an important game for us and we have lost one of our most valuable players.”
Osama Malik looks set to retain his spot in a defence that has not conceded a goal in 288 minutes after showing no ill-effects of an ankle problem that forced him from the field against Newcastle.
The Reds will be aiming to make it three home wins in a row with victory over Sydney FC following triumphs against the Central Coast Mariners and most recently the Jets.
Now, on the Friday night stage against a Sydney FC team that is expected to field marquee man Alessandro Del Piero for at least some part of the game, the Reds will be aiming to reduce the gap to the Sky Blues to two points.
“We-ve had three good results – two wins at home and a draw away and now we need to keep this,” Gombau said.
“We have to keep working the way we are working and try to get the three points tomorrow and if we can it will be another big step for us.”
Del Piero was in the travelling party from Sydney, suggesting the South Australian sporting public will get to see the Italian legend for the first time after he missed Sydney FC-s only game in Adelaide last season.
But regardless of the usual hype surrounding Del Piero, who has netted a third of Sydney-s goals so far in Season 9, Gombau insists he has not put any added focus on man marking the former Juventus great.
“We will play like we play. They have Del Piero and he is a player that is a big name, but we need to do our job. Of course we need to mark him but it will be no different with how we mark players in other games,” Gombau said.
Amazingly, with the season almost at its midway point, the game will be the first time the teams have met this season. If the Reds continue on their recent form there is no reason they cannot start 2014 with three points.
Kick-Off is at 7.00pm ACDT and tickets are available through Ticketek.
Hyundai A-League 2012/13 Season – Round 13
Adelaide United FC v Sydney FC
Friday, 3 January 2014
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
Kick-off: 7:00pm ACDT (7:30pm AEDT)
Referee: Strebre Delovski
Tickets: Available through Ticketek
TV: Live on FOX Sports 1HD & SBS 2
Radio: Coverage on 891 ABC Adelaide, ABC SA, Grandstand Digital and online at www.abc.net.au/grandstand
Twitter: twitter.com/adelutd_fc (hash-tag #ADLvSYD)
Adelaide United Squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (GK) (c), 3.Nigel BOOGAARD, 4.Jon McKAIN, 5.Osama MALIK, 8.ISAIAS, 9.Sergio CIRIO, 11.Bruce DJITE, 13.Steven LUSTICA, 16.Daniel BOWLES, 17.Awer MABIL, 18.Michael ZULLO, 19.Jake BARKER-DAISH, 21.Tarek ELRICH, 20.Paul IZZO (GK), 22.Fabio FERREIRA, 26.Anthony COSTA
Ins: 16.Daniel BOWLES (promoted), 22.Fabio FERREIRA (returns from injury)
Outs: 7.JERONIMO (suspended – 1 match), 10.Marcelo CARRUSCA (general soreness – 1 week)
Unavailable: 6.CASSIO (hamstring tendon – 3 weeks)
Sydney FC Squad: 1.Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 3.Marc WARREN, 4.Ranko DESPOTOVIC, 5.Matt JURMAN, 6.Nikola PETKOVIC, 7.Brett EMERTON, 8.Pedj BOJIC, 9.Corey GAMEIRO, 10.Alessandro DEL PIERO (c), 11.Richard GARCIA, 15.Terry MCFLYNN, 19.Nicky CARLE, 20.Vedran JANJETOVIC (gk), 22.Ali ABBAS, 24.Hagi GLIGOR, 27.Christopher NAUMOFF, 28.Matt THOMPSON
(one to be omitted)
Ins: 27.Christopher NAUMOFF (promoted), 3.Marc WARREN (promoted), 5.Matt JURMAN (promoted)
Outs: 2.Seb RYALL (calf – 1 week), 16.Joel CHIANESE (ankle – 1 week)
Unavailable: Rhyan GRANT (knee – season), Peter TRIANTIS (groin – indefinite), Terry ANTONIS (thigh – indefinite), Tiago Calvano (suspended – 3 matches)
Adelaide United vs. Sydney FC – Hyundai A-League HEAD TO HEAD Record
Played 26 – Adelaide United FC 11 wins, 3 draws, 12 losses
16-Feb-2013… L 1-2… 2012/13 Wk 21 (Allianz Stadium)
31-Dec-2012… W 3-0… 2012/13 Wk 14 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
23-Nov-2012… W 2-1… 2012/13 Wk 8 (Allianz Stadium)
19-Feb-2012… L 1-2… 2011/12 Wk 20 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
22-Dec-2011… D 2-2… 2011/12 Wk 12 (Allianz Stadium)
22-Oct-2011… L 1-2… 2011/12 Wk 3 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
29-Dec-2010… W 2-0… 2010/11 Midweek (Adelaide Oval)
4-Oct-2010… W 2-1… 2010/11 Wk 9 (Allianz Stadium)
4-Sep-2010… W 3-1… 2010/11 Wk 5 (Allianz Stadium)
27-Dec-2009… L 0-1… 2009/10 Rd 21 (Allianz Stadium)
16-Oct-2009… W 2-1… 2009/10 Rd 11 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
16-Aug-2009… L 0-1… 2009/10 Rd 2 (Allianz Stadium)
3-Jan-2009… W 2-0… 2008/09 Rd 18 (Adelaide Oval)
22-Nov-2008… W 2-0… 2008/09 Rd 12 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
20-Sep-2008… L 0-3… 2008/09 Rd5 (Allianz Stadium)
28-Dec-2007… L 1-3… 2007/08 Rd18 (Adelaide Oval)
20-Oct-2007… W 1-0… 2007/08 Rd9 (Allianz Stadium)
1-Sep-2007… D 2-2… 2007/08 Rd2 (Allianz Stadium)
14-Jan-2007… W 1-0… 2006/07 Rd20 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
19-Nov-2006… L 1-2… 2006/07 Rd13 (Allianz Stadium)
2-Oct-2006… L 1-4… 2006/07 Rd6 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
19-Feb-2006… L 1-2… 2005/06 Semi Final 2nd Leg (Allianz Stadium)
12-Feb-2006… D 2-2… 2005/06 Semi Final 1st Leg (Hindmarsh Stadium)
3-Feb-2006… L 1-2… 2005/06 (Allianz Stadium)
27-Nov-2005… W 3-2… 2005/06 (Hindmarsh Stadium)
9-Oct-2005… L 1-2… 2005/06 (Allianz Stadium)
At Hindmarsh Stadium
Played 9; Adelaide United 5, Sydney FC 3, Draws 1
At Adelaide Oval
Played 3; Adelaide United 2, Sydney FC 1, Draws 0
At Allianz Stadium
Played 14; Adelaide United 4, Sydney FC 8, Draws 2
Last time they met
16-Feb-2013 Week 21, Hyundai A-League 2012/13 Season at Allianz Stadium
Sydney FC 2 (Antonis 49-, Powell 66-)
Adelaide United FC 1 (Juric 78-)
