Glory ALM Head Coach Adam Griffiths is backing his charges to keep their Finals hopes flickering by downing reigning Champions Melbourne City at HBF Park on Sunday (kick-off at 4pm, tickets available HERE).
Click HERE to watch his full pre-match media conference.
The men in purple head into their first home game in over a month sitting five points outside the top six off the back of a two-game swing in New Zealand which yielded a draw with Auckland FC and a defeat against Wellington Phoenix.
And Griffiths is keen to see his side make amends for a largely underwhelming display versus the ‘Nix at the Cake Tin.
“The performance against Auckland was what we expect,” he said.
“When I look back at that performance, I felt it was a nice building block going into the Wellington game and unfortunately it did not end up the way we wanted it to.
“We wanted four points minimum out of the trip and we didn’t get that.
“I was very disappointed with the performance [against Wellington] and we need to rebound and respond back here at home in front of our fans.
“The Glory fans deserve a big performance and that’s been the message this week.
“We want a response, there’s still a big opportunity and we need to focus upon our performance first.
“A big strong performance normally results in a win.”
The Head Coach, however, is also aware of the threat posed by City who ended a five-game winless run by downing Sydney FC in midweek, a result which keeps their own Finals hopes very much alive.
“They’ve been up and down, but they’re a very strong team,” he said, “and they just brought four key players into their team during the January transfer window.
“They just had a really strong win against Sydney FC, but every team is beatable on their day and as a coaching group and a club, we’re expecting a big performance from our boys.
“I’m expecting a very competitive game.
“They’re a physical team who are good in transition and are very dangerous, but we want to take the game to them.”
In terms of injury news, meanwhile, Griffiths provided updates on three players in particular.
“Trent [Ostler] broke his jaw in two spots, so he will be out for the season,” he said.
“Adam Taggart (adductor), depending on training this week, should be available for selection, but Tom Lawrence (foot) is very unlikely to be available for this game.”
Sunday’s opponents have struggled to juggle their A-League and AFC Champions League commitments thus far this year and currently sit two points outside the top six.
Aurelio Vidmar’s side have secured six wins to date, with three of those coming on the road against derby rivals Melbourne Victory, league leaders Newcastle Jets and most recently, Sydney FC.
Max Caputo scored the only goal in Tuesday night’s victory over the Sky Blues and the 20-year-old forward has been a real standout for City all season, finding the net eight times in 17 starts.
Other players to look out for in the visitors’ ranks include Socceroos trio Aziz Behich, Daniel Arzani and Aziz Behich, along with Austrian midfield import, Andreas Kuen.
Sunday will mark City’s 20th A-League visit to HBF Park where they have enjoyed six wins to Glory’s 11, with three of those victories coming since 2023.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2025/26 Season Round 22
Perth Glory v Melbourne City
HBF Park
Sunday 22 March 2026
Kick-Off: 4pm
#ONEGlory
ALM Match Preview: Griff demands big response against reigning Champions
