Marco Kurz says Adelaide United will need to stay resolute and eliminate mistakes against Melbourne City at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.
The sixth-placed Reds return to action following the week off, knowing a triumph will consolidate their spot in the top six and close the gap on third-ranked City to just one point.
Last time out, Adelaide suffered a 1-0 away loss against Brisbane Roar, while City went down 2-1 to Melbourne Victory in the Melbourne Derby.
Friday night will pit these two sides together for the third time this campaign with Melbourne beating United twice and most recently recorded a 5-0 win back in Round 17.
Kurz admitted his side will need to be cognisant of City’s threats, stressing the importance of avoiding mistakes following that heavy defeat.
“We know that the quality from Melbourne City is very good,” he said in the pre-match press conference.
“It’s a strong team they play very disciplined, very compact and we have the experience in the last game that they only need one or two chances to score a goal.
“That means that we must use every single chance to score and also to watch out and not make simple mistakes as in the last games.”
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The German further said Adelaide must be up for the physical battle highlighting just how beneficial a win would be for the Club’s finals aspirations.
“It’s also important to stay compact and be strong in the duels,” he added.
“It’s for both teams a very important game, we have lost two games in a row, they have lost three in a row.
“With a victory we can jump closer to City and increase our distance from the teams behind us.
“I’m very confident and I think it’s always in our hands to reach the finals and if we do our homework well we will reach our goals.”
Kurz confirmed Johan Absalonsen could start, revealing he has a full squad to choose from with the exception of Baba Diawara, who is close to returning.
“The training this week was very intense,” he said.
“Because the players are fighting for a position in the 18-player squad.
“It was not easy for me to name the players for the squad and also for the final squad tomorrow.
“I’m happy that after two weeks of intense training Johan (Absalonsen) is fitter than before, Džengis (Čavušević) is ready after the suspension and now I have more options.”
Adelaide United host Melbourne City in Round 23 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Friday, 16 March at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
