Coach John Kosmina says the Reds will not be holding anything back when they host Perth Glory at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
Adelaide United FC Coach John Kosmina says the Reds will not be holding anything back when they host Perth Glory at Hindmarsh Stadium tomorrow night (Friday 11 January 2013).
The encounter against the Glory is the Reds- only home game in January and Kosmina has no hesitation declaring his team will look to force the issue on their home patch.
“They-re all important games…the thing is this one is at home – we-re going to have a go at them,” Kosmina said.
Intriguingly, the Reds- next five games have them facing all five of the other clubs currently situated in the top six. Following the match with the Glory, United faces Melbourne Heart and the Central Coast Mariners away before returning home for matches against Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory, a stretch that is certain to have a bearing on how the Reds are shaping up leading into the business end of the season.
But first up is the job of trying to overcome Perth, last season-s grand finalists aiming to close the four point gap between themselves and the fourth placed Wanderers.
For the clash, Kosmina has opted not to tinker with the formation that has held the Reds in good stead for much of the season. Fabian Barbiero will replace injured playmaker Marcelo Carrusca as Dario Vidosic-s partner in attacking midfield, while the Reds boss has also brought Osama Malik onto the bench as well as 17 year old National Youth League sensation Awer Mabil.
Just over 24 hours ago Mabil was signing his first professional senior contract with the Reds, a two year deal officially beginning next season, and now the exciting youngster finds himself in the squad of 15 to tackle the Glory.
A flashy winger who has scored eight goals to date in United-s National Youth League campaign, Kenyan born Mabil comes in for what Kosmina regards is a ‘like for like- for Fabio Ferreira, who will again miss with a groin injury.
“We lost Fabio Ferreira for a couple of weeks because of some groin issues, so Awer has earned his chance from his performances in the Youth Team, and he gives us a lot of speed and an x-factor,” Kosmina said.
Former Reds Travis Dodd and Scott Jamieson are both set to return to Adelaide for the second time this season when they run out for the Glory, and Kosmina believes they form part of an experienced and dangerous Peth outfit that boasts a wealth of experience and quality across the park.
“They (Perth) are a tough team. They-re very direct, they rarely play out of the back but they can if they need to, they-ve got guys like Jacob Burns, Liam Miller and Steve McGarry who have done a great job in midfield and they-ve got a lot of experience…they-re tough physically and they-re tough mentally.”
With the top of the table Mariners facing Melbourne Victory who sit in third, three points for the second placed Reds against the Glory could prove invaluable. Kick-Off is at 7.00pm ACDT.
Hyundai A-League 2012/13 Season – Week 16
ADELAIDE UNITED FC v PERTH GLORY
Friday 11 January 2013, Hindmarsh Stadium
Kick-Off: 7.00pm ACDT
Referee: Peter Green
Tickets: Available through Ticketek (call 132849, online at www.ticketek.com.au)
TV: LIVE & Exclusive on Fox Sports 1
Radio: Score updates on 891 ABC Adelaide
Twitter: twitter.com/adelutd_fc (hash tag #REDSvPG)
Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene Galekovic (gk) (c), 2.Osama Malik, 5.Iain Fyfe, 6.Cassio, 7.Zenon Caravella, 10.Dario Vidosic, 11.Bruce Djite, 12.Antony Golec, 14.Cameron Watson, 16.Daniel Bowles, 17.Iain Ramsay, 18.Fabian Barbiero, 20.Paul Izzo (gk), 21.Jeronimo Neumann, 23.Evan Kostopoulos, 24.Awer Mabil
*one to be omitted
In: Osama Malik (promoted), Awer Mabil (promoted from NYL)
Out: Marcelo Carrusca (groin – 2-3 weeks)
Unavailable: Nigel Boogaard (hamstring – 1 week), Fabio Ferreira (groin – 2-3 weeks)
Perth Glory squad: 1.Danny Vukovic (gk), 3.Bas van den Brink, 5.Steve Pantelidis, 6.Nick Ward, 7.Jacob Burns (c), 8.Dean Heffernan, 9.Shane Smeltz, 10.Liam Miller, 11.Adrian Zahra, 12.Ryo Nagai, 13.Travis Dodd, 14.Steven McGarry, 15.Brandon O-Neill, 17.Chris Harold, 18.Jesse Makarounas, 19.Josh Risdon, 21.Scott Jamison, 22.Ndumba Makeche, 30.Lewis Italiano (gk)
*four to be omitted
In: Bas van den Brink (returns from suspension), Adrian Zahra, Jesse Makarounas, Ndumba Makeche (all promoted)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Evan Berger (hamstring – indefinite), Michael Thwaite (calf – 2 weeks)
Adelaide United vs. Perth Glory – Hyundai A-League HEAD TO HEAD Record
Played 22 – 10 wins, 4 draws, 8 losses
At Hindmarsh Stadium
Played 13; Adelaide United 7, Perth Glory 4, Draws 2
Last time they met in the Hyundai A-League
11-Nov-2012 Week 6, Hyundai A-League 2012/13 Season at Hindmarsh Stadium
Adelaide United FC 1 (Vidosic 49-)
Perth Glory 1 (Mehmet 43-)
