They blew the chance to secure a home final but Adelaide is confident they have the resolve and team spirit to turn things around quickly in the Finals Series.
They blew the chance to secure a home final but Adelaide United is confident they have the resolve and team spirit to turn things around quickly in the Hyundai A-League Finals Series.
The Reds’ 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Friday nights – coupled with wins for Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC – means they finished the regular season in sixth spot.
Josep Gombau’s side now have to take on Central Coast Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium next Saturday afternoon and if successful then travel away and beat either Brisbane the following week to make the decider.
It would seem a tough ask if Adelaide are to make it all the way through to the grand final but they remain upbeat they can cause a few shocks in the finals.
“It’s a very close knit group we’ve got here,” skipper Eugene Galekovic said.
“You see the passion of the coach (Gombau) and he brings a lot to (the team morale) as well.
“He wants us to be a strong unit and you can see that the way we play and how we celebrate together.
“We’re confident we can do something in the finals. We just have to forget about (the Newcastle loss), work hard all week on the training track and be ready to do better next week.”
Despite the loss to the Jets, Gombau was still happy with his side’s performance on Friday night and will urge them to put the result behind them immediately and reset their focus towards Central Coast.
The Spaniard says his side’s tough run-in over the last month has them battle-hardened heading into the play-offs.
“Every game is different. The players know the finals better than me because they have played in the club for a long time,” Gombau said.
“The finals is just one game and anything can happen so everyone will be extremely motivated to play this game. The last six or seven games for our team has been like finals.
“We weren’t in the top six, and we needed to be and we start to play like finals.”
Adelaide United will play away to the Central Coast Mariners in Week 1 of the Hyundai A-League Finals Series, with the teams set to battle it out at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday 19 April, 4.30pm kick-off. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow the match on Twitter using the hash-tag #ALeagueFinals.
