Perth are locked in a four-way battle for fifth and sixth place after last week’s pulsating 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.
Date: Saturday, March 30, 2013
Kick-off: 6.45pm WST, 9.45pm AEDT
Venue: nib Stadium, Perth
Head-to-head:
Played: 40 – Wins: Perth Glory 14, Adelaide United 16, Draws: 10
Previous encounter:
Mariners 2, Heart 0, December 14, 2012
Form:
Past five matches:
Glory: WLWWL
Reds: LDWLD
The Game
Perth are locked in a four-way battle for fifth and sixth place after last week’s pulsating 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, and must collect the three points against Adelaide to reach the playoffs.
A point may be good enough, but the Glory would then have to rely on Newcastle failing at home against Western Sydney and Brisbane (fifth) and Sydney (sixth) avoiding a draw in their clash at Suncorp Stadium.
Brisbane boast superior goal difference to Sydney, with both sitting a point above Perth and Newcastle in the race for two places.
Adelaide can go no higher than fourth and will be looking ahead to their home elimination final at Hindmarsh Stadium after a frustrating loss to the Mariners on Sunday.
Perth’s second half of the season has been very impressive, a run of four wins in six under new manager Alistair Edwards sees them deservedly pushing for a place in the finals.
The Glory will welcome back skipper Jacob Burns from suspension and defender Michael Thwaite from international duties, while the Reds hope to have Marcelo Carrusca in their starting 11 after he missed against the Mariners with a groin injury.
Mark it down, this will prove to be an enthralling round of final fixtures.
The Big Issue
Perth: Travis Dodd will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his ACL and in Shane Smeltz (face) and Chris Harold (calf), the Glory have another two injury concerns.
Dodd has been a key figure for the Glory this season, scoring his fifth goal of the campaign against Victory, and his absence will leave a big hole. That paired with Liam Miller’s suspension, may leave the Glory short on quality.
Adelaide: Have the Reds run out of steam? Two wins in 10 matches is hardly glowing form heading into a finals series and if they lose to the Glory on Saturday, a home final might seem like somewhat of an erroneous reward.
Adelaide have proved themselves to be a good team this season, but there are plenty of others in the top six keen to pounce on any pretender.
Gamebreaker
Iain Ramsey lit up the Reds as they searched for an equaliser against the Mariners last week until Mile Sterjovski landed the killer blow. Ramsey loves to get forward down the wing, and provides a viable avenue to goal with his surging runs when the Reds sit a little deeper away from home.
Against the Mariners, he launched a scorching volley from outside the box that caught the corner of the upright and cross bar, an effort that deserved better.
Prediction: Perth Glory 2-1 Adelaide United
The Reds will want to prove a point ahead of the finals. A three-game winless streak is no way for a top-four side to lead into the finals, yet the Glory you feel, have a lot more to play for.
Perth would dearly love Smeltz to line up along with their goal scorer from last week Chris Harold. But even with so many players out, there is a relentless momentum about the Glory, suggesting there is something in their barnstorming run to the finals.
