Adelaide United looks set to fiddle with a winning combination after three of the Reds banished quartet were named in the club’s extended squad on Thursday.
United will be forced to make at least one change as Paul Reid is out with a strained adductor while Travis Dodd’s fitness is under scrutiny too. But the selection dilemma surrounds the inclusion of Mark Rudan, Robbie Cornthwaite and Lucas Pantelis who were dropped last week.
Adam Hughes remains on the outer for another round.
Coach Aurelio Vidmar said the players had been unhappy with their demotions but had shown a positive attitude in the build-up to the team’s clash with Wellington Phoenix at Hindmarsh Stadium this Friday.
“They’ve been very good at training, they are professional people, professional footballers and they’ve gone about this week like every other week so that’s what we expect,” Vidmar said.
“There’s 23 players in a squad and all 23 players always should be thinking they are a possibility to play.”
If the experienced trio do come in there will be a few players that’ll feel unlucky for being dropped. Daniel Mullen and Michael Marrone did nothing wrong after being brought into the side while Shin and Francesco Monterosso had limited game time.
A stable line-up is normally the key to a team’s success but Vidmar said he’s not afraid to tinker with his team.
“We just have to be open to ideas, we are not just going to settle, this will be the team now for the rest of year but certainly we’ve got the ability, or the players have that ability, to come in and perform.”
Adelaide has never lost to Wellington and just over 12 months ago it beat the Phoenix 6-1 at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Wellington also has its fair share of injury problems while Andrew Durante, Tim Brown and Vince Lia are only one yellow card away from suspension.
Despite those distractions, Vidmar said his side wouldn’t be going out to unsettle the Phoenix.
“We’ll worry about ourselves to be honest; we are not too bothered about what is happening on their side of the fence. We’ll just worry about getting our game right and going with a lot of aggression and real positive frame of mind,” he said.
The Reds have had a lean couple of months with the victory against the Roar a rare highlight. But Vidmar said the team was fully aware they were still in finals contention given the tightness of the competition.
“You look at the situation we are in, only four points out of the top four or five, so there’s still a lot to play for. A crazy season but a good opportunity for us to back up, get a win and then assess where we are at after that,” he added.
