Adelaide United defender Bart Vriends says Thursday night’s AFC Champions League Two opener against Tai Po FC should be embraced as a major occasion for the Club and its supporters.
The Reds return to Asian competition at Hindmarsh Stadium for the first time in a decade, and Vriends believes that alone is something worth celebrating.
“It’s obviously a big milestone for the Club,” Vriends said.
“It’s been 10 years, I believe, and this is just the outcome of what we achieved last year.
“I think we need to celebrate us being in Asia again.”
After a long pre-season, Vriends says the group is ready to show supporters the progress that has been made behind the scenes.
“The group has had a long pre-season, obviously, but I think we’ve improved massively over the last months,” he said.
“That’s not for everyone to see because we haven’t played many games.
“But at training, the intensity has been excellent, and we’ve improved our tactics and our game plan as well.
“I feel like we’re well prepared for tomorrow night’s game.”
Head Coach Airton Andrioli echoed that confidence, saying the squad has been building towards the match for several weeks.
“Training’s been good,” Andrioli said.
“The boys have been training really well. We’ve been preparing for this game for the last few weeks, and we are excited to be back at Hindmarsh, having our first game in the AFC Champions League after such a long time.
“We’re hoping that we put up a good performance tomorrow night for our supporters.”
For Andrioli, the return to Asia also represents an important step in the Club’s broader direction.
“It’s very important,” he said.
“There’s nothing better than being in a competition like Asia, where you play against so many different styles of football, players and cultures.
“For us, that’s just going to continue to help develop our young players and consolidate what we want to do as a football club.”
While Tai Po arrives having already played competitive matches in its domestic season, Andrioli says United’s focus remains firmly on its own football.
“They’ve already played five games in their league, and we’ve been analysing as much as we could from their matches,” he said.
“We know a few things about them, but for us it’s mainly concentrating on the football that we want to play and doing what we need to do to get this result.”
Andrioli also confirmed the squad is in a strong position physically heading into the opener.
“Everyone is fit,” he said.
“The squad is building. We’re just excited to be able to play football matches, and that’s what we need.”
Adelaide United v Tai Po FC
Thursday, 17 September 2026
Kick-off: 7:30pm
Hindmarsh Stadium
Tickets are on sale now. Get behind the Reds and be there for Adelaide United’s return to Asia.
