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Adelaide United
0
Match Complete
Wellington Phoenix
0
| S. Galloway |  | 92' | ||
| 84' | | S. Taylor | ||
| 71' | | A. Rufer | ||
| 68' |  | A. S. PeA+-a | ||
| I. S. CortA(C)s | | 65' | ||
| V. Lia | | 63' | ||
| M. Jakobsen | | 58' | ||
| 41' | | A. Durante |
| 32 | Shots | 4 | ||
| 7 | On Target | 2 | ||
| 18 | Fouls | 12 | ||
| 8 | Corners | 2 | ||
| 0 | Offsides | 0 | ||
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 | ||
| 4 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
Show Preview
Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix have played out a 0-0 draw at Coopers Stadium.
It was a case of close but yet so far for the Reds, as they dominated the game despite failing to score.
In all honesty, the first half saw little enterprise from either team (as I predicted in the preview) and it wasn’t until the red card to Mandi appeared in the second half that the Reds really let loose in attack.
At the same time, the Phoenix dug in and did brilliantly in defence, even though the Adelaide attack needs a lot of work if it is to threaten the top teams in the competition.
The greater the numbers the Reds threw forward, the more resilient the Phoenix defence became.
As the final minutes passed it became clear that it was not to be the Reds’ night and Mark Rudan was to walk away with another point that enunciated the difference he has made to the Phoenix.
Despite an absence of goals, it was gripping, teasing and frustrating; just what football should always be.
Final score
Adelaide United 0
Wellington Phoenix 0
Adelaide United and the Wellington Phoenix meet at Coopers Stadium in a match with top six ramifications. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 5:35pm (AEDT).
Both Adelaide and Wellington come into this match on 15 points and a win today would kick-start their 2019 in the best way possible.
The Reds ground out a tough win last week against the Jets; never really hitting top gear, however Marco Kurz will have been pleased that his men were still able to get the job done on the road.
Wellington took what appeared an ominous and threatening trip to AAMI Park to face the Victory in what many felt would be the end of the unbeaten month that the Phoenix had enjoyed.
It proved to be nothing of the sort, with a David Williams goal giving the visitors the lead and only a late Ola Toivonen equaliser saving the Victory from defeat.
Quite simply, it proved one thing. That is, Mark Rudan has performed something quite real with his men across the ditch and there isn’t a team in the A-League right now with which they cannot complete.
Adelaide will have the home fans to spur them on today and have started to show some better connectivity up front in recent weeks.
George Blackwood and Nikola Mileusnic are back and providing more options and avenues than were available early in the season, when Craig Goodwin appeared to be shouldering a considerable portion of the load.
Wellington are blessed with a speedy and rampant attacking squad that feed of the creativity of Sarpreet Singh sitting in behind them.
Roy Krishna and Williams both enjoy the space he provides and with their agility, pose a serious threat to defences.
Louis Fenton and Tom Doyle have elevated their games this season and been at the core of the Phoenix success.
They will look to bomb the flanks once again and occupy the wider defenders; allowing the space in behind for the more central attackers.
Prediction
This is a very close call in terms of a potential winner and I feel a draw might be the most likely result in a match that neither manager will feel comfortable losing. Expect a cagey affair and a low scoring draw.
Adelaide United 1, Wellington Phoenix 1
Catch all the action on The Roar live coverage from 5:35pm (AEDT).
Where: Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
When: Saturday 5th January 2019, 5:35pm (AEDT)
TV: Fox Sports
Betting: Adelaide $1.83 Draw $3.75 Wellington $4.00
Adelaide United
1.Daniel Marguš (Gk), 2.Michael Marrone, 3.Scott Galloway, 4.Ryan Strain, 5.Taylor Regan, 6.Vince Lia, 7.Ryan Kitto, 8.Isaías Sánchez (C), 10.Ken Ilsø, 11.Craig Goodwin, 14.George Blackwood, 16.Nathan Konstandopoulos, 17.Nikola Mileusnić, 20.Paul Izzo (Gk), 22.Michael Jakobsen, 23.Jordan Elsey, 26.Ben Halloran, 27.Louis D’arrigo
Wellington Phoenix
1.Filip Kurto, 4.Mandi Sosa, 5.Ryan Lowry, 6.Dylan Fox, 8.Mitch Nichols, 9.Nathan Burns, 11.David Williams, 13.Liberato Cacace, 14.Alex Rufer, 15.Michal Kopzcynski, 16.Louis Fenton, 18.Sarpreet Singh, 19.Tom Doyle, 20.Oliver Sail (Gk), 21.Roy Krishna, 22.Andrew Durante (C), 23.Max Burgess, 27.Steven Taylor
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