Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau says every game is now like a final because of an incredibly cluttered A-League table.
Gombau’s fifth-placed Reds host seventh-placed Wellington Phoenix on Thursday night with just one point separating the clubs on the ladder.
And with just seven points between Melbourne Victory in third spot and the last-placed Melbourne Heart, Gombau says the league is in for an exciting ride to the finals.
“There are a lot of teams that are very equal … these final seven games will be nice for everybody, for the fans, because they are important for a lot of teams,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“Every single team has a chance of the top six because now Melbourne Heart start to win. Everybody has this chance and will fight for these positions.”
Gombau, who has lost his midfield maestro Marcelo Carrusca to a groin strain for the clash against the Phoenix at Coopers Stadium, has stressed to his players to forget the finals and focus on fundamentals.
“There are seven games before the finals,” Gombau said.
“For us, there are three games at home. And if we want to be in the finals, we want to win these games – and try to get some points away.
“We don’t speak about finals.
“But we know, and everybody knows, that this league is so close, every single game is like a small final.”
Adelaide summoned striker Ryan Griffiths into their squad for the Thursday night clash – a fixture moved from Sunday to avoid a clash with the city’s season-opening round of the V8 Supercars.
But Carrusca’s injury and a suspension to central defender Jon McKain leave holes against the improving Wellington, who have won seven of their past 10 games – prior to that, they had won seven of their previous 38 A-League matches.
The absence of McKain’s steadying influence in defence looms large against the Phoenix, given the purple patches of their attacking stars Carlos Hernandez and Stein Huysegems.
Hernandez has been involved in more goals this season than any other player – 14, scoring six with eight assists – and Huysegems leads the Golden Boot with 10 goals.
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