- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Western United FC
0
Match Complete
Adelaide United
0
| S. Lustica |  | 92' | ||
| A. Majok | | 65' | ||
| A. Calver | | 64' | ||
| 57' | | J. Caletti | ||
| L. Wales | | 56' | ||
| A. Diamanti | | 47' | ||
| V. SA!nchez | | 37' | ||
| 24' | | J. Elsey | ||
| 20' | | N. Smith |
| 10 | Shots | 11 | ||
| 4 | On Target | 1 | ||
| 16 | Fouls | 14 | ||
| 13 | Corners | 7 | ||
| 3 | Offsides | 1 | ||
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 | ||
| 6 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
Show Preview
Western United are set to host Adelaide United at GMHBA Stadium in the A-League season opener. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match with the kick-off at 7:05 pm (AEDT).
Western United have had a strong summer with just six departures and none of them being too major. The exciting part of their summer comes in their arrivals.
Lachlan Wales provides depth, although it’s a slightly peculiar signing considering Western United play without wingers in their system. Wales will likely be a rotating striker option or a wing-back replacement.
However, their main signing is Victor Sanchez. The 33-year-old was a small part of Barcelona’s squad between 2008-11, which fans know from Pep Guardiola’s reign and their tiki-tika side. He went on to make over 300 appearances in Spain’s first division and had a stint as captain of RCD Espanyol.
Sanchez will add class, composure and a range of passing from deep to Mark Rudan’s side and he has an ability to break the lines from deep, which will be crucial in allowing Alessandro Diamanti and Max Burgess to gain possession in advanced positions.
Max Burgess will not feature in Western United’s opening game, being stuck in New South Wales after spending the off-season attempting a move to the Western Sydney Wanderers.
However, Western United’s CEO confirmed that Burgess will remain in green and black at least for the start of the season. That news will be refreshing to Western United’s fans after his stellar campaign last season.
Adelaide United have had a busy summer, losing ten players. Among them were James Troisi, Riley McGree, Nikola Mileusnic, Paul Izzo and Kristian Opseth.
Personally, I was very disappointed to see them not resign Taras Gomulka, who I was impressed with after his run of starts following the season restart.
Adelaide has brought in two new goalkeepers in Joe Gauci and James Delianov, while 23-year-old George Timotheou looks to strengthen their defence.
However, their biggest signing comes in the form of Tomi Juric, who will lead the line for Adelaide United this season. It will be interesting to see what this means for Mohamed Toure, who had a blistering start to the 2019-20 A-League season before fracturing his foot and struggling to find form.
Prediction
The first game of the A-League is always tough to predict, but the quality of Western United’s side will be enough for them to overcome Adelaide United. They have kept roughly the same side while adding quality, and Adelaide are going through a rebuilding phase and might not get the positive start they hope for.
Western United to win 2-0.
Kick-off: 7pm (AEDT)
Venue: Kardinia Park, Geelong
TV: Fox Sports
Live stream: Kayo Sports, Foxtel
Hide Preview
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.