For Adelaide to improve on a thus far dismal record in Sydney with just one win from seven visits, then once again its defence will need to play a prominent role.
Despite the loss of towering influence Sasa Ognenosvki, and the injury enforced absence of Daniel Mullen, United racked up an 11th clean sheet from 23 matches in last week’s win over Perth, and keeper Eugene Galekovic only had one real save to make.
Meanwhile Sydney scored three away to the Fury and importantly, John Aloisi bagged two of them, to equal his entire haul from last season’s horror campaign.
So with Steve Corica expected to return to the starting XI and slot in behind Brosque and Aloisi, Adelaide’s back four supported by screening midfielder’s Reid and Hughes will need to be at their best.
Sydney look more likely to play through the middle than penetrate out wide but United should be able to cope as both Jamieson and Marrone have the pace, skill and poise to bomb forward and track back.
A crowd of 20,000 is anticipated for the first home game of Sydney’s season, and therefore the first real match in front of the boisterously blue Cove for new coach Vitezslav Lavicka.
Given Adelaide’s ACL exploits last season the crowd shouldn’t faze them, but what effect will it have on former Bling player Iain Fyfe, now of course back in his hometown?
United coach Aurelio Vidmar expects Fyfe (like a lot of players to do against their former clubs) to put in a good shift.
Vidmar says Fyfe has been relaxed all week and believes so long as he and the rest of the team “stick to the game plan to a tee,” expects the Reds to come away with a result.
But Sydney will also be confident.
Three away goals in what will be a difficult place to get a result this season represents a tremendous start.
Last week The Fury’s goals came from a corner and the penalty spot, so like Adelaide United the performance of Sydney’s back four will be key, as arguably the Bling’s rearguard is less settled than Adelaide’s.
Sydney conceded 32 goals last season and has lost Fyfe, Popovic, Middleby and Busch with only Cole and Bolton the survivors.
Shannon Cole, admits the defence is still gelling, but is confident the clean sheets will come.
Against Adelaide, who are unlikely to be a high scoring team until they get a few more attacking players back from injury, this weekend may be their best opportunity to record one.
Cole expects Adelaide to be well organised, sit deep and counter-attack, whereas Vidmar believes Sydney as a “good footballing side” may allow Adelaide to “play some football.”
It should be a more expansive and free flowing game than we saw against Perth, but if it is tight with about 20 minutes left then expect Korean import Shin to be unleashed from the bench in the hope he can as Vidmar believes “make something happen in the front third.”
It’s a lot to expect a 20 year-old in his first A-League game to provide the key to a tight game, but while he is still a relative unknown, for a while at least Shin will have the element of surprise.
That would be some fairy-tale for Shin and the Reds, as it would if new signing and former Sydney skipper Mark Rudan came off the bench to score the winner.
Stranger things have happened and they can define a season.
Tags: a-league, adelaide united, football, john thompson-mills, soccer, Sydney FC