Head Coach Ruben Zadkovich has insisted that his players are relishing the prospect of spoiling Adelaide United’s Coopers Stadium homecoming on Sunday (kick-off at 12pm WST).
View his full pre-match media conference HERE.
Like Glory, the Reds are yet to play a home fixture this term, instead making consecutive trips to Wellington, Macarthur and Sydney FC from which they have claimed two points.
But while acknowledging that Carl Veart’s men are a tough proposition in front of their own fans, Zadkovich is adamant that Glory are very much up for the challenge.
“They’re a good team,” he said.
“I think they’ve had an unlucky start to the season if I’m honest.
“They’ve had some red cards and different kinds of scenarios and they’ve also been away from home.
“One thing we know about them is that at Hindmarsh [Coopers Stadium], they’re a bit of a different team and a different beast.
“We know they’ll be up and about.
“They’re an attacking team with some high-quality players like Craig Goodwin, Ben Halloran and [Hiroshi] Ibusuki.
“We know it’s going to be a tough challenge, but one thing we’ve made a real conscious effort with with this group is to embrace those challenges.
“As a club we have to do that right now because that’s how rebuilds are.
“It’s about hard work, effort and togetherness and that’s the focus for us.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult game, but we’re happy to pitch ourselves against anyone.”
The Head Coach went on to confirm that last weekend’s victory over the Mariners had, unsurprisingly, lifted morale within the playing group.
“It’s been nice to see the guys getting some rewards for their efforts,” he said.
“To get a result just gives them a bit of a boost, but we’re still a work in progress.
“In Rounds 2 and 3 we created more chances than the opposition which is a positive sign, but there’s a long way to go and we still need to keep improving.
“We’re facing a little bit of adversity being away from home [for the first five games] but the mentality and the togetherness of the group are really strong and week by week we’re getting better and better and growing.
“Momentum is huge in this league.
“One minute we’re twelfth, the next minute we’re sixth, so it’s a funny league and it’s still early days in the season.
“In this competition, back-to-back wins really go a long way and you can jump up the ladder and we have an opportunity to do that this week.
“Three points are on the line and it’s away from home, so our backs are against the wall a little bit, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I know the players are as well.”
In terms of early team news, injury has forced Luke Ivanovic to withdraw from the Glory squad, but otherwise, no fresh concerns emerged from Sunday’s win in Gosford.
Glory will be seeking back-to-back victories at Coopers Stadium having claimed all three points from their most recent visit in February 2021.
This fixture has established a reputation as a thriller in recent years, with the last ten meetings producing a total of 40 goals.
You can catch all of Sunday’s action on Paramount +.
Match Details
ISUZU UTE A-League Round 4
Adelaide United v Perth Glory
Coopers Stadium
Sunday 30 October 2022
Kick-off: 12pm WST (2.30pm Local Time)
Adelaide United squad: 1.James DELIANOV (gk), 2.Harry VAN DER SAAG, 3.Ben WARLAND, 6.Louis D’ARRIGO, 7.Ryan KITTO, 8.ISAÍAS, 9.Hiroshi IBUSUKI, 11.Craig GOODWIN (c), 14.George BLACKWOOD, 21.Javi LÓPEZ, 26.Ben HALLORAN, 28.JUANDE, 35.Luka JOVANOVIĆ, 36.Panashe MADANHA, 41.Alexandar POPOVIĆ, 46.Joe GAUCI (gk), 47.Asad KASUMOVIĆ, 49.Musa TOURE, 55.Ethan ALAGICH, 66.Nestory IRANKUNDA
Ins: 36.Panashe MADANHA (promoted), 49.Musa TOURE (promoted)
Outs: None
Unavailable: 10.Zach CLOUGH (quad), 13.Lachlan BARR (calf), 27.Joshua CAVALLO (spleen), 31.BERNARDO (foot), 37.Jonny YULL (back), 50.Steven HALL (knee)
Perth Glory squad: 33.Liam REDDY (gk), 2.John KOUTROUMBIS, 3.Jacob DOWSE, 4.Luke BODNAR, 5.Mark BEEVERS (c), 6.Aaron MCENEFF, 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 10.Salim KHELIFI, 11.Ben AZUBEL, 14.Jack CLISBY, 16.Keegan JELACIC, 18.David WILLIAMS, 19.Zach DUNCAN, 20.Giordano COLLI, 23.Mitch OXBORROW, 25.Matt HATCH, 29.Daryl LACHMAN, 30.Pierce CLARK (gk), 36.Joseph FORDE, 37.Jacob MUIR
Ins: 14.Jack CLISBY, 18.David WILLIAMS, 37.Jacob MUIR
Outs: 12.Luke IVANOVIC
Unavailable: 1.Brad JONES (gk) (injured), 8.Mustafa AMINI (injured), 13.Cameron COOK (injured), 12.Luke IVANOVIC (injured), 21.Anthony BURKE-GILROY (injured), 22.Adrian SARDINERO (injured)
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