It may be Boxing Day but there will be no chance to relax for Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers when they meet in the final match of Hyundai A-League Round 9 on Wednesday evening.
The match at Coopers Stadium is shaping as a crucial one with both sides in desperate need for a victory after a rough stretch of results.
WATCH FOR FREE: How to watch the Hyundai A-League LIVE and FREE
HEROIC MOMENTS: Redemption for Jamieson in pulsating Melbourne Derby
TALKING POINTS: Are Pheonix the real deal in the Hyundai A-League
The Reds are coming off back-to-back losses and after a bright start to the season now find themselves in danger of dropping out of the top six all together if they suffer a heavy defeat against the Wanderers.
Two 2-0 defeats at the hands of the Melbourne clubs – Victory and City – will have Marco Kurz scratching his head but Wednesday night’s match-up provides a good opportunity to get back into the winners’ circle against a Wanderers side with only two wins to their name.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5979874028001
A 3-1 loss in the Sydney Derby heaped further pressure on Markus Babbel’s outfit and they’ll be without goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic who was sent off in the defeat to Sydney FC.
However, the Wanderers can take heart from a couple of strong performances on the road this season, securing a 1-1 draw in Perth and a dominant 3-0 win in Wellington.
There are happy memories for both sides in this fixture, Western Sydney claiming their biggest-ever win back in 2012 when they demolished the Reds 6-1 while Adelaide fans will need no reminder of their side’s 3-1 triumph against the Wanderers in the 2015/16 Grand Final.
Key Opta stats
- Adelaide United have lost just one of their last 10 games against Western Sydney Wanderers (W3, D6), and are undefeated in their last five games against them (W2, D3).
- Adelaide United have been kept goalless in their last two games heading into this fixture; the last time they went longer without scoring a goal was a three-game span from December 2016 to January 2017.
- Brendan Hamill (Western Sydney Wanderers) is set to play his 100th A-League game; Adelaide United are one of only three teams (Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix) against whom Hamill has scored an A-League goal.
Ins and outs
Adelaide United squad: 1.Daniel MARGUŠ (gk), 2.Michael MARRONE, 3.Scott GALLOWAY, 4.Ryan STRAIN, 5.Taylor REGAN, 6.Vince LIA, 7.Ryan KITTO, 8.Isaías SÁNCHEZ (c), 10.Ken ILSØ, 11.Craig GOODWIN, 14.George BLACKWOOD, 16.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS, 17.Nikola MILEUSNIĆ, 20.Paul IZZO (gk), 22.Michael JAKOBSEN, 23.Jordan ELSEY, 26.Ben HALLORAN, 32.Carlo ARMIENTO
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 14.George BLACKWOOD (returns from injury), 32.Carlo ARMIENTO (promoted)
Outs: nil
Unavailable: 9.Baba DIAWARA (knee), 18.Lachlan BROOK (knee), 31.Mirko BOLAND (hamstring), 33.Apostolos STAMATELOPOULOS (quad)
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 4.Josh RISDON, 5.Brendan HAMILL (c), 7.Nick FITZGERALD, 8.Jordan O’DOHERTY, 9.Oriol RIERA, 10.Alex BAUMJOHANN, 11.Bruce KAMAU, 13. Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 14. Mathieu CORDIER, 17.Keanu BACCUS, 21.Tarek ELRICH, 22.Rashid MAHAZI, 24.Raul LLORENTE, 28.Roly BONEVACIA, 34.Patrick ZIEGLER, 40. Nicholas SUMAN (GK), 49.Abraham MAJOK, 50. Jack GREENWOOD (GK).
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 13. Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS (promoted), 14. Mathieu CORDIER (promoted), 40. Nicholas SUMAN (promoted), 50. Jack GREENWOOD (promoted)
Outs: 16.Jaushua SOTIRIO (injury – three weeks), 20.Vedran JANJETOVIC (GK, 1 match suspension),
Unavailable: 19.Mark BRIDGE (injury – two weeks)
How to watch
Tune in to FOX SPORTS 505 from 7:30pm AEDT or watch through the MyFootball Live App.
Tickets
Get down to the Boxing Day clash! Get your tickets here.
