Tonight Adelaide United will look to get their season back on track when they host high-flying Melbourne Victory at Hindmarsh Stadium. We’ll have live commentary from 7.30pm AEDT.
With just eight games left in the regular season, competition for finals places is heating up and the form that teams take into the knockout matches could be critical.
While Adelaide United sit in fourth place, nine points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle Jets, the club is in something of a crisis following the resignation of manager John Kosmina. A strong series of results in these last weeks could shape interim coach Michael Valkanis’ future at the club.
Adelaide’s form in recent matches has dipped severely, with the Reds winning just once in their last five outings.
Last week’s 4-2 loss to the Wanderers was a performance of defensive incompetence and the result could have been even more uneven if not for another very solid showing from keeper Eugene Galekovic.
United have struggled to maintain their attacking flair from earlier in the season, with the mesmerising performance of their forwards in the last clash with the Victory seemingly a distant memory.
Fabio Ferreira and Bruce Djite will miss tonight’s clash, but in Marcelo Carrusca and Jeronimo Neumann the Reds have two game-changing players. Dario Vidosic and Iain Ramsay will also be threats.
Though defence was the clear sticking point last week, Adelaide’s chances tonight will depend on their attack- the Reds will be relying on their forwards to return to the form they were displaying early in the campaign.
Though only four points clear of United, Ange Postecoglou’s Victory are in much better form, having lost just once in their last nine games, and coming off consecutive Big Blue and Melbourne derby wins.
With more big matches coming up – third-placed Wanderers followed by the league-leading Mariners – Postecoglou has made it clear he expects his team to keep winning matches.
Though marquee player Marcos Flores’ season has not gone quite as planned, his performance in last week’s derby suggests he could be returning to the form of old just in time to face his former club.
Victory will sorely miss Mark Milligan (away with the Socceroos) in midfield – he has been outstanding for them this season.
Young Nick Ansell has also become a core part of the starting eleven but his injury last week rules him out for the next two weeks at least.
Leigh Broxham is the likely man to replace him in central defence. As always, Marco Rojas and Archie Thompson have the potential to be deadly on the counter up front.
Adelaide need to save their season, Victory want to win the Premiership – we’re in for another fiery and attack-minded game tonight. Join us from 7.30pm AEDT for commentary on all the action.
clayts
Guest
But can they give a yellow retrospectively. I think it was worth a card, just not a red. What happens then?
Dave
Guest
Wow!! I only saw the second half but I'm just gonna put it out there and say that may well be the most entertaining 45 minutes of football I've seen in the Aleague yet! The quality passing football from both teams, but particularly Adelaide was fantastic! The reds could and maybe should have posted a rugby league score in that half. Such a shame about the red card, not because of it being legitimate or not, but because I really hope that doesn't become a big part of the way everyone views that game. Adelaide full value for their win and would have been a travesty if Melbourne got a point, but there they were hanging in at the end, almost getting it. IMO the red card made next to no difference to the flow of the game. But I bet now much of the commentary will revolve around it. I was watching a stream that I couldn't get any sound on, which is usually a bit of an excitement killer, but I was absolutely glued to the screen for that. What a great comp the Aleague has developed into!!
Cappuccino
Roar Guru
FULL TIME: Adelaide United 1-0 Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory's strong run of form comes to a crashing halt, and now the Mariners go six points clear at the top of the table. Adelaide United have come out deserved winners after Postecoglou's team never found their rhythm, United now sit in fourth, just a point behind their southern rivals and twelve points clear of the fifth-placed Jets. Ange Postecoglou will be undoubtedly be disappointed not only with his side's performance but also with the performance of referee Jarred Gillett, whose dismissal of Adama Traore left Melbourne a man down at a key point in the match.
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FULL TIME: Adelaide United 1-0 Melbourne Victory The corner comes to nothing, Adelaide United are back!
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90+4- Victory win a corner! Final moments now! AU 1-0 MV
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90+3- Rojas dribbles into the box and goes down, but even the Victory players don't appeal for a penalty. AU 1-0 MV
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90+2- Victory are getting desperate, their passing game has started to disintegrate now. Daniel Bowles picks up a yellow card from Gillett. AU 1-0 MV
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90+1- Victory have four minutes of stoppage time to save the game. AU 1-0 MV
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90'- Evan Kostopolous comes off for Adelaide United, replaced by 17-year old Awer Mabil. AU 1-0 MV
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89'- Connor Pain shoots twice in the box but both times Antony Golec blocks well. AU 1-0 MV
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88'- Daniel Bowles slices the ball over the top of the goal after the Victory defence failed to clear inside the box. AU 1-0 MV
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87'- Dario Vidosic runs forty metres on the counter but shoots straight into Coe despite being one-on-one. AU 1-0 MV
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85'- Ferreira guides in a cross but it is headed away, only as far as Leijer. Adelaide are backs-to-the-wall now, ready to soak up the Victory's pressure. AU 1-0 MV
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83'- Traore's red card seems to have killed off the competitive nature of the game, the Reds seem happy to defend for the rest of the match and with only ten men the Victory look unlikely to score. Cameron Watson is going to replace Jon McKain for Adelaide. AU 1-0 MV
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Roar Guru
If the MRP has any sense that red card will be rescinded.
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79'- Daniel Bowles touches the ball over Coe but Leijer is able to head away the goal-bound shot. AU 1-0 MV
Roarsome
Guest
The quality of officials is a blight on the league. David Gallop needs to do something urgently to rectify this. The players and the fans are doing their bit but poor referring is destroying games. I defended the refs earlier but that call is woeful. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
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78'- Melbourne Victory substitute Jonathon Bru for Diogo Ferreira. AU 1-0 MV
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76'- RED CARD! Melbourne Victory's Adama Traore is off after a clumsy challenge. Very disappointing decision from Jarred Gillett, that was worth nothing more than a yellow. AU 1-0 MV
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75'- Melbourne enjoy a spell of possession but are unable to do anything with the ball and the Reds win it back again. Adelaide goalscorer Jeronimo Neumann is replaced by Daniel Bowles. AU 1-0 MV