Adelaide United Head Coach Airton Andrioli says Sunday’s clash with Macarthur FC at Coopers Stadium is “extremely important” as the Reds look to finish the regular season strongly in their final home match before finals.
With Members Round set to bring a big crowd to Hindmarsh, Andrioli has urged supporters to pack the stands and help drive the team over the line, while stressing the need to turn recent draws into three points through sharper execution in the final third.
Andrioli on the mood in camp this week
“The mood’s very good. We had a good session today [Friday], and the whole week has been very good. The boys are training well, fully focused, concentrating, and ready to go for Sunday.”
Andrioli on the importance of Sunday’s match and the last home game of the regular season
“We’re getting to the end now. Two more matches to go. This game is extremely important. We’re playing at home, and we hope to see a full stadium on Sunday. We hope that our supporters will come and be the number 12 player. For us, we need them. It’s very important to stay focused, to play with the same belief. We want to get the result, and the preparation has been good, so we’re hoping the boys can execute the game plan well on Sunday.”
Andrioli on AJak Riak returning to the squad
“It’s just another player option for us. We tried to use a little bit of rotation on the bench, and he’s been training well. He comes into the 20 man provisional squad, and we’ll make a final decision tomorrow who’s going to be on the bench.”
Andrioli on the impact of the United fanbase and Members Round
“Our fans are extremely important for us. I don’t think there’s a better place to be than Coopers when our supporters are there, pushing us forward and giving us that belief and confidence to do a good job at home. We hope we can perform well and reward them with a result. This game on Sunday is really critical for us.”
Andrioli on turning draws into wins
“Just keep on doing what we’re doing and be a little bit more clinical. When we get into those positions that we often do… we just need a little bit more concentration in the final third and be more clinical in the final decisions. I’m confident that if we do that, we can get the result this Sunday.”
Andrioli on Craig Goodwin’s progress
“He’s progressing really well. He’s doing more and more with the squad now. There are still certain things he’s not ready to do yet, but we’re increasing his loads and pushing him a little bit more. He’s been responding well. Let’s see how we go after the end of this week and next week, and then we can make an assessment. Depending how deep we go into the competition, maybe he can play a part in that as well.”
Andrioli on Anselmo’s impact and building momentum
“It’s been a little bit unfortunate the way it’s panned out with him, having a few injuries and not being able to get that rhythm. But now he’s put those injuries behind him, hopefully, and he’s building momentum. He’s training well, he’s knocking on the door for an opportunity to play, and when he’s come on he’s had a tremendous impact, like last week. It’s good to have a player with his abilities and different attributes to come and help us. Looking forward to see if he’s called to come into the game, what he can do for us on Sunday.”
