Adelaide United defender Alemao has recovered from a broken nose but is unlikely to start in the clash against the Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh Stadium on Monday.
The Brazilian copped the injury in Round 7 and sat out United’s match against North Queensland last week.
Fabian Barbiero and Francesco Monterosso were also included in the Reds’ initial squad but the club will more than likely give the duo a run in the National Youth League on Sunday.
Alemao has been a steady performer but Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar has been yearning for a settled line-up all season.
Vidmar said the victory over North Queensland had been a real confidence boost for those already in the side.
“There’s no point in changing, we had a very good win. Everyone really worked their socks off, especially in that last 30 minutes when we thought maybe the heat would’ve had some sort of impact on us,” he said.
“We continued to over-run North Queensland so that was really pleasing.”
“I think the last two weeks of training has been fantastic, the mood is extremely upbeat and obviously with a win it always helps.”
Adelaide’s scoring woes were forgotten last week when it jagged two goals against the Fury. But Vidmar said the team still had plenty of room for improvement.
“I think we’ve got five extremely attacking players in the front third and it’s about combining and joining in with every type of movement when we are going forward, they just need to be involved,” he said.
Friday’s draw between the Gold Coast and Wellington Phoenix has kept the competition wide open and there’s sure to be a shuffle on the ladder by the end of the weekend.
It’s a fact not lost on the Reds who are in seventh spot but just three points behind the top side. Vidmar said he’s keen to build some momentum and move up the Hyundai A-League pecking order.
“It’s really important we get back on track at home, it’s extremely important and a win will certainly put us in a very, very good position,” he said.
Meanwhile Vidmar says he would’ve preferred to play the Jets on Saturday instead of Monday given the team’s tight turnaround heading into Round 10.
The Reds are sure to benefit from a seven-day break after playing in sweltering conditions last Sunday.
But Vidmar says the scheduling of games is sure to test the players in the coming weeks.
“The flipside of that is playing on Monday we go to Perth on the Friday so that’s the week that is extremely short,” Vidmar said.
“I probably would’ve preferred to play on a day like today to give a bit of extra time in between games but that’s how it is and we’ll just have to deal with it when it comes.”
