Stand United and cheer your side back to winning ways, as the Reds look to bring high-flying Wellington down to earth.
Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix
Friday 3rd February, 7.30pm
Stand United and cheer your side back to winning ways, as the Reds look to bring high-flying Wellington down to earth.
Entertainment is guaranteed on Friday night at Hindmarsh, as two Hyundai A-League competitors will be going all out for the win – for very different reasons.
Wellington Phoenix are aiming to retain their place in the top two, while Adelaide United will be desperate to give the Red Army something to shout about after a disappointing loss last time round.
On paper, there should be only one winner in a clash between the team one off the foot of the ladder and the side that has just climbed into the top two.
However, while United haven’t won in five and Wellington have taken maximum points from the last three games, there are plenty of reasons for the Red Army to go into this match-up with confidence that their side can stop Phoenix in their tracks.
After all, it has has been proved time and time again that the Hyundai A-League is a wonderfully unpredictable beast.
Strangely, there are some positives to take from last week’s 3-0 defeat to Perth Glory at Hindmarsh Stadium.
While it might seem like a thrashing, United played some good stuff going forward, started the game brightly and, had they been less wasteful in front of goal, would have been very much in contention to pick up a result, even despite conceding twice in the first twenty minutes.
However, Sergio van Dijk couldn’t find the target and strike partner Bruce Djite missed a couple of glorious chances, meaning that when Perth grabbed a third in the second-half, the game was up.
Adelaide will also take heart from the fact that they face a Wellington Phoenix team that they came very close to beating in New Zealand earlier in the season. In November, only a late own goal from Nigel Boogaard prevented the Southern Australians from taking all three points away from Auckland’s Eden Park, after Djite’s goal had given them the lead.
Since then though, Wellington Phoenix have really pushed on and are now the Hyundai A-League’s form team, rocketing up the ladder to the heights of second.
Ricki Herbert’s team picked up their third successive win with a 3-1 demolition of Melbourne Heart at Westpac Stadium on Sunday in front of a season-high turnout of over 13,000. It was legendary striker Paul Ifill that did the damage, scoring either side of Chris Greenacre’s fine header.
Not only do Wellington find themselves reaching the kind of heights that could potentially give them nosebleeds, but they are in the unusual position of seeking a hat-trick of away wins, following successes in Newcastle and on the Gold Coast.
If Adelaide are to keep their top six aspirations alive, then they will have to prevent Phoenix from achieving an unprecedented third away win on the spin, and they will need your help to do it. So, as always, get yourself along to Hindmarsh and turn it into a sea of Red. Your support can make all the difference, so play your part!
