Gertjan Verbeek admits he is looking forward to taking charge of his first game as Adelaide United boss on home soil when they host Newcastle Jets at Coopers Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Reds tackle Newcastle in what is expected to be a hard-fought FFA Cup Quarter Final.
It is the second encounter between the two sides in the tournament after Adelaide prevailed 1-0 during the Round of 32 at Marden Sports Complex in 2017.
Verbeek said he is excited about observing his first competitive game at Coopers Stadium, but added that once kick-off arrives his attention will be solely on the game.
“I think for tomorrow there’s always some excitement in your body and then when the match is starting that slips away,” Verbeek told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
“You are only focused on the match, so for now with one training sessions to go and we’re looking good.
“The players are doing a good job and we’re all together again because the national players (the Olyroos boys) were away and some young players had a holiday.”
Adelaide defeated Melbourne Knights and Olympic FC to reach the last eight, while for the Jets it is their maiden appearance at this stage of the competition.
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Three players will be unavailable for selection with Verbeek ruling out Michaël Maria and youngsters, Kusini Yengi and Carlo Armiento.
“Michaël Maria isn’t available, Kusini (Yengi) isn’t available, and Carlo (Armiento) isn’t available,” he explained.
“Maria has some problems with his hips from the Gold Cup that he played and then he had two weeks on holiday and then it was better.
“But now we did a lot of training and he has some problems with the hips, the adductor so he’s been out of training for two weeks.
“He’s now starting and joined the group for three or four days but it’s too early for the game.”
The Dutchman further discussed Yengi’s and Armiento’s absence.
“Carlo has a problem with his upper leg, the quadricep – it’s a muscle injury and Kusini a little bit similar to last year,” he added.
“So he’s growing, he’s getting stronger, but not strong enough for the power he has already so it’s a problem of his age and he’s growing.
“I heard two years back he was one of the little ones, now he’s one of the big ones so there’s always giving a lot of problems in football when you train a lot – so we’ve to be careful with him.”
Verbeek also feels the team is tracking well under his stewardship based on training, but said ultimately performances coupled with results accurately determine their progression.
“What I’m seeing and how they’re developing I’m satisfied,” he said.
“I said the last few trainings have been at a good quality. They understand much more than in the beginning and we need that.
“They’ve made progress in training, but now I’ve to see it in the game – that’s the most important.
“That’s the result that you’ve to keep on going and to get some confidence and to convince the players that this is the way for this team to be successful.
“… I think we’ll have to play our best football tomorrow to win this game.”
FFA Cup Record:
| Adelaide United | Newcastle Jets | |
| 2014 | Champions | Round of 32 |
| 2015 | Quarter Finals | Round of 32 |
| 2016 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 |
| 2017 | Runners-up | Round of 32 |
| 2018 | Champions | Round of 16 |
Adelaide United host Newcastle Jets in the Quarter Finals of the FFA Cup 2019 on Tuesday, 17 September at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.00pm ACST.
