Adelaide United’s Michael Jakobsen believes the erratic form of Western Sydney Wanderers has the potential to make them a dangerous opponent at Coopers Stadium on Saturday night.
But the Danish defender also knows Markus Babbel’s troops have had a soft underbelly at times, an area the Reds need to take advantage of.
Marco Kurz’s men are in a rich vein of form, unbeaten in their last five games to sit in fourth spot heading into the last third of the regular season.
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It’s been a much tougher campaign for the Wanderers, with last weekend’s 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners snapping a 10-game winless run.
While Western Sydney is almost no chance of figuring in the finals this season, Jakobsen is wary of their threat on Saturday night.
“It’s a hard game because [the Wanderers] don’t have a lot to lose,” the centre-back told reporters on Tuesday.
“So they can be very free when they come and play but also it’s like a wounded animal, if you score against them they can collapse a bit.
Jako turns our attention towards Saturday night at Coopers 👇 #ADLvWSW
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“So we need to create a lot of chances and put them under pressure.
“But it’s a quality side, they’ve some really good players when they’re all fit, so it’s going to be a tough match.
“But at home we need the three points and we need to win as many games, especially at home, as possible.”
Adelaide’s strong recent form has seen the jump into the top four and within striking distance of both Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory above them.
With a third of the campaign to go, the Reds could easily make-up the six-point gap to second-placed Victory, although Jakobsen is refusing to look too far ahead.
“We need to be focussed on every game because there are no easy games here,” he said.
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“If we can win the next game we might narrow down the points to the second and third teams.
“And we still have to play them both (Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC), so I think we’re in a good spot and we’ve all the opportunities to climb even higher as long as we believe in it.”
Saturday’s match at Coopers Stadium can be seen LIVE and FREE on 10 Bold or tenplay.
