Perth Glory settled for a stalemate in their most recent meeting with Adelaide United and will know a repeat could open the door to Sydney FC in the battle for the Premiers Plate.
Glory’s lead at the top of the Hyundai A-League has been trimmed to six points following successive draws away to Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City.
They needed two late goals to snatch a point in Melbourne and must now contend with another tricky road trip.
Coopers Stadium is the destination and hosts Adelaide will be itching to return to winning ways on home turf as they seek to strengthen their Finals Series ambitions.
SIGNED: Glory veteran commits to two-year contract extension
CHIANESE CONFIRMED: In-form forward pledges future to Perth
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5992855499001
Marco Kurz’s men have not won since the start of February, managing just two points from their past four matches.
That poor run of form, which has seen them score just twice, has left the Reds at risk of slipping out of the top six.
And though they earned a battling point at HBF Park earlier this year, Adelaide failed to prevent Perth from notching twice in the final 20 minutes en route to a 2-0 victory for the league leaders at Coopers Stadium back in November.
There is plenty to play for in what will be a crunch contest for both teams.
WATCH FOR FREE: How to watch the Hyundai A-League LIVE and FREE
SIGNING NEWS: Young gun commits to Glory
Key Opta stats
- Perth Glory have won four of their last eight Hyundai A-League games against Adelaide United (D2 L2), keeping four clean sheets in that time.
- The Reds have failed to score in their last two Hyundai A-League games played on a weekday, including a 0-0 draw with Glory in Round 15 this season.
- Adelaide United have conceded a yellow card once every nine fouls conceded, the least frequently of any team in the Hyundai A-League.
Ins and Outs
Adelaide United squad: 2.Michael MARRONE, 3.Scott GALLOWAY, 4.Ryan STRAIN, 6.Vince LIA, 7.Ryan KITTO, 8.Isaías SÁNCHEZ (c), 10.Ken ILSØ, 11.Craig GOODWIN, 16.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS, 17.Nikola MILEUSNIĆ, 19.Jordy THOMASSEN, 20.Paul IZZO (gk), 22.Michael JAKOBSEN, 27.Louis D’ARRIGO, 30.Isaac RICHARDS, 31.Mirko BOLAND, 32.Carlo ARMIENTO, 33.Apostolos STAMATELOPOULOS **two to be omitted**
Ins: 17.Nikola MILEUSNIĆ (returns from injury), 22.Michael JAKOBSEN (returns from injury), 30.Isaac RICHARDS (promoted), 33.Apostolos STAMATELOPOULOS (promoted)
Outs: 1.Daniel MARGUŠ (international duty), 14.George BLACKWOOD (international duty)
Unavailable: 9.Baba DIAWARA (knee), 18.Lachlan BROOK (knee), 23.Jordan ELSEY (foot), 26.Ben HALLORAN (ankle)
Perth Glory squad: 1.Tando VELAPHI (gk), 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Jason DAVIDSON, 4.Shane LOWRY, 5.Ivan FRANJIC, 6.Dino DJULBIC, 7.Joel CHIANESE, 9.Andy KEOGH, 13.Matthew SPIRANOVIC, 16.Tomislav MRCELA, 17.Diego CASTRO, 19.Chris IKONOMIDIS, 21.Jacob ITALIANO , 22.Fabio FERREIRA, 23.Scott NEVILLE, 27.JUANDE, 33.Liam REDDY (gk), 88.Neil KILKENNY **two to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Alex GRANT (returns from injury), 16.Tomislav MRCELA (returns from injury), 21.Jacob ITALIANO (promoted), 22.Fabio FERREIRA (promoted)
Outs: 11.Brendon SANTALAB (not selected), 20.Jake BRIMMER (not selected)
Unavailable: 15.Brandon WILSON (international duty)
How to watch
Tune into Fox Sports 505 at 7:50pm (AEDT) on Friday to find out which side comes out on top. You can also stream the match live on the MyFootball Live App, or by subscribing to Kayo Sports.
Tickets
CLICK HERE to secure your seat at Coopers Stadium as the Reds take on Perth.
Tipping
