Adelaide United coach John Kosmina is hopeful his side’s consistency in the Asian Champions League will continue on Wednesday.
Adelaide top their group with nine points from their four matches in Group E and host the champions of Uzbekistan, Bunyodkor, at Hindmarsh Stadium in a match that could seal their progression into the next stage.
After winning their first two matches, United lost 1-0 to the Pohang Steelers in South Korea.
But they quickly responded, winning the reverse fixture by the same scoreline to put themselves into a commanding position with two group matches left.
“The team has been smooth,” Kosmina said.
“We had a bit of a hiccup in Pohang (South Korea) a couple of weeks ago but that’s behind us and I think we rectified that last week, the thing is now to maintain that consistency and take it into next Wednesday night.”
With a fortnight between matches, keeping the players match fit is a battle for Adelaide.
Kosmina feels mental fitness is more important than conditioning, and believes keeping the players motivated is crucial.
“Mental fitness is more important than physical fitness,” he said.
“Your head tells your legs that they’re tired, not the other way around … so from that perspective we’ve got to look at what we do to change stimulus.
“We’ve got a day off tomorrow and we go into game mode on Sunday, so that in itself is enough to motivate people, but after that you’ve got two weeks again and hopefully we can get a positive result on Wednesday and that should keep everyone fairly buoyant.”
Kosmina has explored many options to keep the players fresh, including regular yoga sessions.
“It’s going to become an important part of the program but I think it (yoga) is something that needs to be introduced slowly,” he said.
“Clubs use it around the world. I started it in Sydney four years ago and there was a little bit of resistance but now they do it two or three times a week and if you look at some of the better players around the world, (Manchester United midfielder) Ryan Giggs is the best example.
“He’s been doing yoga for about six or seven years now and he’s getting better as he gets older, and he’s got no right at his age given the amount of time he’s been on the football field and injuries he’s had to still be playing where he’s at, so there’s got to be something right in it.
“Barcelona and AC Milan use it … the best clubs in the world are right into this sort of thing, so it’s good enough for Adelaide.”
Dario Vidosic is likely to return to Adelaide’s side after missing the win over Pohang with a hamstring injury, while Sergio van Dijk might be forced to settle for a spot on the bench due to the terrific form of strike partner Bruce Djite.
