Adelaide to put it all on the line
Adelaide United’s squad is fired up and ready to put it all on the line, when it goes up against in form Queensland Roar tomorrow night, in the one-off Hyundai A-League Preliminary Final at Hindmarsh Stadium (Kick-Off 6.30pm ACDT).
Putting a forgettable Major Semi Final series behind them, Coach Aurelio Vidmar would like nothing more than to get another shot at Melbourne Victory in the season decider, while a win over Queensland would automatically qualify United for its third AFC Champions League campaign.
Speaking at the official pre-match media conference, a buoyant Vidmar said the players- attitude at training in the lead up to the game had been exemplary, and that he is confident they can take that onto the field tomorrow night.
“Both teams have got a big carrot dangling at the end of it which is a spot in the ACL tournament in 2010, so it-s obviously going to be an extremely tough game,” Vidmar said.
“I-m sure that the players will be fired up and they-ll need to be. We need a lot of support here tomorrow, I-m sure we-ll get that and I know if we can play up to our maximum performance then we-re always a very good show to win the game.”
“We-ve had a fantastic week on the track, that-s extremely important and the mood has been terrific. There are no prizes for the losers so we-re really looking forward to it, and I think we-ve got a lot to prove.”
Key defender Scott Jamieson sent a scare through the camp yesterday when he rolled his ankle and limped off from training, and while scans revealed no major damage, Vidmar will wait until just before kick-off to make a final decision on whether his gritty left back will play.
“He (Jamieson) is going to have a test tomorrow morning so we-re going to wait until the very last minute. He-s a pretty tough nut and knowing Scotty he-ll move heaven and earth to play so at this point of time I would say he-s 90 per cent sure of playing,” Vidmar said.
Once the whistle is blown for kick-off on Saturday night, Adelaide United will be in its 10th Hyundai A-League finals appearance and while it is more than any other club, The Reds- record in the big games is not one to write about, and Vidmar is determined to begin rectifying that against the Roar.
“We-ve been terrible in finals and that will stick with us until the day we win a final, it-s very simple,” Vidmar admitted.
“It-s not nice but that-s the stigma that we-ve got, we-ve got to accept that criticism and until we win that game or a Grand Final it will stick with us, and we-d like to change that starting tomorrow night.”
The Roar on the other hand are on a hot streak and come into the game on a four game winning run, which has consisted of 11 goals over that period. However, United have not lost to Queensland this season, the three encounters only producing three goals in what have all been tightly contested affairs.
“Queensland are a very exciting and mobile side so we-re really looking forward to a tough challenge,” Vidmar said.
“We need to make sure there is good pressure on the ball. I think that-s where we-ve let ourselves down over the last couple of weeks so we-ve worked on a fair bit this week to make sure there-s good pressure on the ball and I think that-s going to be the key.”
Going into a game that has so much hinging on the result, Vidmar also urged all of The Reds- supporters to make their presence felt and voices heard to give the team that added advantage.
“What I can say to the fans is that if we ever need your help it-s this week, so they really need to come out in force and cheer as loud as they possibly can to get us over the line,” Vidmar said.
The game is set to be Reds Vice-Captain Lucas Pantelis- 50th Hyundai A-League appearance, while a number of United-s players including Sasa Ognenovski, Angelo Costanzo, Jonas Salley, Paul Agostino and Michael Valkanis will be hoping they will still have another game to be part of before they move on from the club next season.
As part of the club-s super Saturday at Hindmarsh Stadium, the National Youth League Grand Final between The Reds Youth and Sydney FC Youth will be played as a curtain raiser to the Hyundai A-League Preliminary Final.
Gates open at 2.15pm (ACDT) before the National Youth League Grand Final at 2.30pm (ACDT) followed by the Hyundai A-League match at 6.30pm.