If there’s one thing Adelaide attacker Jeronimo Neumann is sure of ahead of Friday night’s clash with Melbourne Heart, it’s to expect the unexpected.
If there’s one thing Adelaide attacker Jeronimo Neumann is sure of ahead of Friday night’s clash with Melbourne Heart, it’s to expect the unexpected.
The Reds head into their final home match of the season with a clear scenario; take all three points and ensure themselves of a spot in the Hyundai A-League finals.
Adelaide is unbeaten in their last eight home matches and are the competition’s leading scorers in front of their own fans but they have won just one of their last five clashes with the Heart at Coopers Stadium.
And the red and whites have nothing but pride to play for with their top six hopes already dashed.
That makes John van’t Schip’s side a dangerous proposition according to the Argentinean playmaker.
“For us it’s a really important game, like a final and we know if we win we enter the playoffs but we also we know Melbourne Heart come with nothing to lose and nothing to win,” Jeronimo told www.footballaustralia.com.au.
“We don’t know if that’s better or worse for us. They have no pressure or nothing so it could be worse.
“Sometimes when a team has nothing to play for they don’t have to worry about anything and can do really well. It makes it a bit unpredictable for us.
“But we can’t worry too much. We need to think about our style and they way we want to play and try to win.”
After missing last weekend’s 1-0 away win against Wellington with a hamstring strain, Jeronimo is confident of a return for the visit of Heart.
The 28-year-old completed a full training session on Wednesday and only needs to get through the club’s final hit-out to convince coach Josep Gombau he can take his place in the squad.
After a tumultuous start to the campaign, the Reds are many people’s dark horses for the title and Jeronimo says the improvement has come from the players finally adapting to their coach’s philosophy.
“For me he is a really good coach with a clear idea of what he want for the team and for our style,” Jeronimo said of Gombau.
“He has improved a lot of things in the team, in the way we play and for us it’s been great.
“The tactics has been the big thing for me. We always try to play, not give the ball away and have the right mentality to approach the game.
“It took some time but we are all happy now, we are playing well, always keeping the ball and trying to attack and this is important for us,” he said.
“Now we are here we want to try and get to the grand final and win it.”
Click here to buy tickets to Friday night’s Reds v Heart game at Coopers Stadium.
