Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold has eased concerns over a serious ankle injury to skipper Alex Brosque but has all but ruled him out of Friday night’s top-of-the-table clash with Adelaide United.
Brosque had to be carried from the field in the dying stages of Sunday’s 2-0 win over Central Coast Mariners at Allianz Stadium after rolling his ankle.
The Sky Blues skipper looked in plenty of anguish as he was taken up the tunnel but Arnold is confident his marquee man won’t be a long-term casualty.
High-flying Sydney, who have equaled their best-ever start to a season, face the biggest challenge of their title credentials next up with an away clash against Josep Gombau’s Reds on Friday night.
“He’s (Brosque) rolled his ankle. He said he’s done it before and you can normally get over it pretty quick,” Arnold said of Brosque’s injury.
“We’ve got a short turnaround this week so he might be struggling for that one but he will hopefully be back for the [Melbourne] Victory game (the week after).
“…They (Adelaide) are in good form, are a tough team to play at Coopers Stadium, it’s a beautiful pitch and will be a good crowd.
“We’ll recover well, work on some tactics this week and be ready for them. I’m really confident we can do well against them.”
In a boost for the Sky Blues, Kiwi international Shane Smeltz will be available for his Hyundai A-League debut for the club against the Reds.
Arnold’s men certainly didn’t need his goal-scoring talents on Sunday as first-half strikes from Terry Antonis and Sasa Ognenovski ensured the 2-0 win in front of more than 17,000 fans.
