Marcelo Carrusca says Adelaide United will bounce back from the disappointing loss which knocked them out of the AFC Champions League, and regain their strength to overcome the Central Coast Mariners on Sunday.
United midfielder, Marcelo Carrusca, is adamant that he and his teammates will harness the disappointment they’ve endured through their AFC Champions League (ACL) exit and focus entirely on the rest of their Hyundai A-League campaign.
“We have to take what happened against Shandong, and use it towards building our strength,” Carrusca said.
“We will now switch our focus to the regular season and remain positive in our ability, because these types of things just make us stronger.
“The loss will not be easy to forget, and we were punished, but it has passed. That is football and the best we can do is move forward and focus on our game against Central Coast.”
In terms of their domestic form, the Reds are currently enjoying some of the best form the Club has seen in recent seasons.
Guillermo Amor’s men have also already overcome the Mariners once this season, running out 3-1 winners at Coopers Stadium in Round 15.
And with their recent away form being as strong as that at home, the Reds will be confident travelling to Central Coast Stadium considering they’ve outscored their opponents 7-2 in their last two games on their travels.
Reflecting on the ACL match, though, Carrusca said the team tried their hardest, and have been left bitterly disappointed at being eliminated from the competition. Nevertheless, he and his fellow Reds still believe success remains firmly in sight looking to score a win against the Mariners to take their undefeated streak to eleven matches.
“We tried our best (against Shandong),” he continued. “In those types of competitions you are facing tough opponents with very good players.
“You give them one chance and they will score. We are very disappointed but we are ready to move forward and come back stronger against Central Coast.”
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Adelaide United will face Central Coast Mariners in Round 19 of the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season on Sunday, 14 February at Central Coast Stadium. Kick-off is at 2.30pm ACDT.
