Adelaide United captain Eugene Galekovic insists the Championship is the only thing on the Reds’ mind heading into this weekend’s sold-out Semi Final at Coopers Stadium.
Adelaide will host Melbourne City for a spot in this season’s Grand Final on Friday night, having already claimed the club’s first Premiers Plate since the 2005/06 campaign.
Whilst United’s winning of the trophy was a massive achievement for the club, considering it was winless until Round 9 of the domestic competition, Galekovic has stated he and his teammates have moved on from the triumph and are only thinking about lifting the famous ‘Toilet Seat’.
“The Championship is the biggest trophy to win in Australia so that’s the one I want more,” Galekovic said. “Winning the trophy on the day in such a big game is what the players want too.
“Everyone around the Club is very excited at the moment. We’ve had the week off and the boys just want to get out there and play.
“It’s Finals football and everyone wants to be part of it.”
As Premiers, the Reds were entitled to a week off from competitive football whilst the sides ranked third to sixth battled it out in Elimination Finals for the remaining two spots in the Semi-Finals.
United’s benefits to finishing at the top of the league after Round 27 also extends to playing the lowest ranked side in their home Semi-Final, which, after Brisbane Roar defeated Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City defeated Perth Glory, means the Reds will battle it out against John van ‘t Schip’s Citizens.
Galekovic has welcomed the visit from City ahead of Friday’s match, saying United’s recent 2-0 win over the Victorian side will go a long way in his squad advancing to the Grand Final ahead of Melbourne.
“The week off has enabled us to manage our bodies quite well and this week will be all about how we’re going to play against Melbourne City,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter who you play in the Finals because if you don’t perform you’ll lose.
“We’ve learned a lot from just playing them in our last game so we kind of know how they play, but it’s about preparing for it and making sure that we’re ready to fight through the 90 minutes on Friday night.
“We’re playing at Coopers and we want to perform in front of our crowd.
“It’s going to be a big game and it’s all about getting the job done.”
Hyundai A-League 2016 Semi Final 1 – SOLD OUT
Adelaide United (1st) v Melbourne City (4th)
Friday 22 April 2016
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
7:15pm kick off (7.45pm AEST)
