Glory ALM Head Coach Adam Griffiths is backing his charges to meet the challenge presented by what he regards as a very dangerous Adelaide United side at Coopers Stadium on Friday (kick-off at 4:35pm WST, watch on Paramount+).
Click HERE to watch Adam’s full pre-match media conference.
United are the second-highest scorers in the competition this term and have found the net on two or more occasions in six of their last eight games.
That prowess in the final third has helped propel the Reds up to fourth on the ladder and Griffiths is expecting a tough test in what is a key game for both sides as the season enters its final furlong.
“They’ve got a lot of quality, young, exciting players that they’ve brought through their academy,” he said, “and are a team that is always on the front foot, especially at home.
“They’re an attacking team, they have good technical players and they try and play a brand of football that is exciting.
“So it’s going to be a big challenge for us to match that and be switched on to counter that.”
The men in purple will make their shortest away journey of the season looking to bounce back from a home defeat at the hands of the table-topping Newcastle Jets and the Head Coach is keenly aware of where his charges need to improve.
“Having reviewed the game, we’ve identified that it was very tight and critical moments determined the game,” he said.
“That’s something that we have to improve upon in terms of our focus and doing our jobs in these critical moments because every single game is so tight in this league and these moments determine whether you win or lose.
“We’ve been looking at how we can be better in those final-third actions.
“We felt that we progressed the ball well last week, but really struggled when the creative moment needed to happen and that’s the x-factor.
“We need to improve those areas of playing forward and thinking forward more often and when we progress that, we want to speed it up.
“There are constantly layers that you have to improve and I felt that our progression has improved in terms of control, but that final moment to really take the game to the opposition needs to improve, so we’ve been addressing that.”
Glory will be backed by more than 150 travelling Members and fans on Friday evening, with the game marking the Glory Shed Supporters Club’s annual Tour of Duty and Griffiths is keen to see their remarkable dedication rewarded.
“Perth Glory supporters and the Shed group are something that really drives the team, especially away from home,” he said.
“So when we have that support, the players really feel that energy.
“We want to provide good results and good entertaining football for all our supporters and for the guys that travel, it means even more.”
In terms of early team news, Griffiths confirmed that Tom Lawrence (foot) and Lachie Wales (knee) will again miss out, but Nicholas Pennington has recovered from his groin issue and is available for selection.
Brian Kaltak, meanwhile, will not feature as her serves a one-match suspension after seeing red against the Jets last time out.
Since mid-December, the Reds have enjoyed an upswing in form, losing just twice in nine games and establishing themselves as serious top four contenders in the process.
In addition to downing Glory at HBF Park in Round 9, Airton Andrioli’s side have won two other games on their travels, against Brisbane Roar and most recently, Sydney FC.
Their goals have been spread quite evenly through the squad with Luka Jovanovic claiming five and Craig Goodwin (currently injured), Jonny Yull, Ryan Kitto and Brody Burkitt all chipping in with three.
Other players who have featured prominently include Dutch goalkeeper Joshua Smits who has started all 17 games and made 72 saves and promising young defender Panagiotis Kikianis who has made 14 starts.
This will be Glory’s 30th overall ALM trip to Coopers Stadium where they have enjoyed eight wins, the most recent of which came in February 2021.
The last six meetings between the two sides have yielded an aggregate of 30 goals.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2025/26 Season Round 18
Adelaide United v Perth Glory
Coopers Stadium
Friday 20 February 2026
Kick-off: 4:35pm WST
(photo courtesy of Tom McCarthy)
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ALM Match Preview: Glory ready to meet challenge posed by “front-foot” Reds
