Johan Absalonsen says he is delighted to be back amongst the first-team and believes Adelaide United will take the game to Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
The Danish winger has been limited to just a total of nine games for the Reds due to an injury-plagued season, and has not featured since Round 14.
However, his quality is undeniable as the 32-year-old has scored a prolific five goals and provided a number of assists.
Absalonsen, who is expected to return via the bench, said he is looking forward to playing again and putting an injury-interrupted campaign behind him.
“It has definitely been (frustrating), it’s not what I expected,” he said.
“It started so good in the pre-season (Westfield FFA Cup) and the first couple of (league) games.
“But we still have six games to go plus hopefully finals, so I would like to pay something back to the team and the Club for the last six games and hopefully more.”
Last matchday, United suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of rivals Melbourne Victory, while the Roar went down 1-0 to Newcastle Jets at home.
We can't wait to see our great Dane on the park tomorrow night ??? #AUFC #BRIvADL pic.twitter.com/gODo8yfFYQ
— Adelaide United FC (@AdelaideUnited) March 2, 2018
Saturday night’s clash will be the third meeting between the two sides this year with honours even – ironically, both have recorded 2-1 away triumphs.
But that might not come as a surprise given the overall head-to-head record reads 16 wins each and nine stalemates in 41 league matches.
With United hoping to consolidate its position in the top six, Absalonsen said the best form of defence is to attack and dominate proceedings.
“I think we’re a team that wants to be aggressive and wants to be pressuring,” he insisted.
“So we’ll definitely not be standing down with ten men and defend.
“We’ll try to create something in the game because that’s our style, so I can’t imagine it will be ten men behind the ball all the time.”
The boss had his say ahead of our trip to Brisbane this weekend ✈️? pic.twitter.com/mytOVWnriD
— Adelaide United FC (@AdelaideUnited) March 1, 2018
But the Dane did warn the Reds must acknowledge the quality the seventh-placed Brisbane possess.
“We definitely need to respect them because they definitely have their good days,” he continued.
“They still have some quality and they’ve had some really nice wins on some hard away trips.
“Like us, we lost to them at home and I think (Melbourne) Victory lost to them at home.”
Last five meetings
1-2 loss @ Coopers Stadium
1-2 win @ Suncorp Stadium
2-1 win @ Coopers Stadium
4-0 loss @ Suncorp Stadium
1-1 draw @ Coopers Stadium
Adelaide United will face Brisbane Roar in Round 22 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Saturday, 3 March at Suncorp Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
