Adelaide United are sweating on the fitness of Cassio after their star Brazilian went down at training on the eve of the Reds’ clash with North Queensland Fury at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
Cassio was caught by team-mate Nigel Boogaard during some intense possession drills, but United coach Rini Coolen expects the pocket rocket to be fit for the match.
Coolen said he will wait and see how the left-back pulls up, giving Cassio until the last minute before deciding whether he’ll take to the field against the Fury.
“Yeah I think more than likely he’ll be fit for tomorrow, I don’t think it’s a big problem,” said Coolen.
“He came back to training, but at the end of the day you’re never 100 percent sure. I’ll have contact with him in the morning but I think he can see it in a positive way so I think he’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Normally he will be there because it’s not a muscle problem, it’s just a knock. It takes a few hours and we’ll have contact in the morning. He said it feels alright but you never know how it is in the morning but I think we’ll be okay.”
Coolen also said he had expected the FFA’s Match Review Panel to rescind the red card skipper Travis Dodd received late in last Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Wellington in Christchurch.
The coach conceded that Dodd’s wrongful dismissal may have cost the Reds a point, as United were level when Dodd was sent off before the Phoenix stole an injury-time winner, but admitted he was pleased the decision was reversed.
Dodd looked doubtful during the week, as did Argentine playmaker Marcos Flores but Coolen said both would face the Fury on Friday night.
“I think it’s a normal decision,” he said.
“We lost him during the game, and maybe it cost us one point, but we can’t change it any more. Everybody saw that it was a mistake, it can happen, everybody can make mistakes.”
“They’ve changed that for us in a positive way so he’ll be there tomorrow.”
“He wasn’t 100 percent (earlier in the week),” added Coolen when asked about Dodd’s fitness.
“Even Flores, in our last training yesterday (was proppy). But today everything was perfect so we’re happy that both Travis and Flores can play tomorrow.”
