Adelaide United’s Seniors and Reserves face a stern challenge this weekend, in the RAA NPL SA semi-finals.
Both teams progressed to the last four courtesy of a pulsating 4-3 extra time win against Adelaide Comets in the Seniors, and a 0-1 victory against MetroStars in the Reserves last weekend.
They will now play two-legged semi-finals against Campbelltown City and Adelaide Comets respectively, starting Friday night at ServiceFM Stadium.
Youth Head Coach, Airton Andrioli, says the desire for silverware is palpable throughout the squad.
“I can feel and see the atmosphere that the boys are really hungry and see this as an opportunity to do something special this finals series,” Andrioli said.
“They played in difficult matches last weekend and so to progress will hopefully set us up for a deep run in this competition.
“It’s very important for our players to play these types of knockout games and finals games to accelerate their development.”
Nestory Irankunda’s 106th minute drive was enough to seal the 4-3 victory against a stubborn Comets outfit, after he had started the match.
Earlier in the day, Mohammed Hassan’s effort for the Reserves secured their progression, in what was his 10th goal of the season.
Campbelltown – and Comets – Crusade
United will have to best a strong and confident Campbelltown outfit over the two upcoming semi-final legs.
The experienced unit is flying after shocking Isuzu Ute A-League side, Macarthur FC 2-1 in the Round of 32 Australia Cup.
They also earned a week off due to finishing second after the regular season, so Andrioli knows that his Reds will have to be at their best.
“We know even from previous years the threat of Campbelltown and their dangerous ability on set-pieces through players like Alex Mullen, and Yohei Matsumoto and Shogo Yoshikawa among others,” Andrioli admitted.
“We are also confident in what we do and at this stage in the season we are prepared to vary our style as needed to match the game situation.
“The main thing is the desire to take this opportunity and attitude that we can go all the way, and really bring it to our opponents starting Friday night.”
United’s Reserves face Comets who finished as minor premiers, in what promises to be another exhilarating weekend of finals football.
The NPL semi-finals kick-off with the Seniors on Friday night at 7:30pm at ServiceFM Stadium, while the Reserves play at 12:30pm on Saturday at the same venue.
Match Details:
NPL Seniors
Adelaide United v Campbelltown City
Friday, 25 August 2023, kick-off: 7.30pm
ServiceFM Stadium
NPL Reserves
Adelaide Comets v Adelaide United
Saturday, 26 August 2023, kick-off: 3.00pm
ServiceFM Stadium
