Adelaide United head coach Josep Gombau has raised doubt over the fitness of in-form talisman Bruce Djite ahead of Adelaide’s important encounter with Perth Glory on Sunday.
“He’s not okay, we need to decide what we’ll do exactly,” Gombau said.
“He had a little problem with his calf, he can be ready to play but also is a little bit risky.”
There’s little doubt as to the importance of Djite’s inclusion for the Reds.
The in-form striker has enjoyed a blistering start to his season, having scored a thunderous goal against Brisbane Roar in Round 1, as well as bagging a crucial brace against Sydney FC in the Westfield FFA Cup on Tuesday evening.
Despite the uncertainty on Djite’s availability for selection, Gombau insisted in a press conference at Hindmash today, that he has enough options to cover the loss of his front man.
“We have different possibilities,” Gombau said.
“(We) can play Cirio, can play Pablo (Sanchez), can play Chelo (Marcelo Carrusca), depending on the way we play.”
The visit of Perth Glory on Sunday undoubtedly guarantees a mouth-watering spectacle to take place at Coopers Stadium.
The Glory currently sit top of the league, boasting the competition’s only perfect record of two wins from two, and have an in-form striker of their own in Irishman Andy Keogh, who has notched four goals in two games.
Perth dug deep to beat Brisbane 3-2 last Sunday at NIB Stadium, and also managed a vital 2-1 win over the Wellington Phoenix to kick-start their campaign in round 1.
The Reds’ on the other hand have impressed many while showcasing entertaining football, and were denied only by a late equalizer at a packed Adelaide Oval last Friday evening against rival club Melbourne Victory in a 1-1 thriller.
The Reds also enter the clash fresh off their stunning dismissal of Sydney FC in a Westfield FFA Cup quarter-final on Tuesday evening at Allianz Stadium.
Bruce Djite will undergo a test tomorrow morning before a final decision is made.
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Adelaide United v Perth Glory
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
Kick-Off: 4:30 PM (Local) (5:00 PM AEDT)
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Cream
Assistant Referee 2: Paul Cetrangolo
Fourth Official: Rick Schneider
TV Broadcast: Live and exclusive coverage on FOX SPORTS 1HD & 1 from 5.00pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport 3 (New Zealand)
Radio Broadcast: 891 ABC Adelaide, Local Radio SA, ABC Grandstand Digital, Online/A-League Live Mobile phone app
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #ADLvPER
Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (c) (GK), 2.Michael MARRONE, 3.Nigel BOOGAARD, 4.Dylan McGOWAN, 5.Osama MALIK, 6.CÁSSIO, 7.PABLO SÁNCHEZ, 8.ISAÍAS, 9.Sergio CIRIO, 10.Marcelo CARRUSCA, 11.Bruce DJITE, 16.Craig GOODWIN, 17.Awer MABIL, 18.Jimmy JEGGO, 20.Paul IZZO (GK), 21.Tarek ELRICH, 22.Fabio FERREIRA, 32.Nathan KOSTANDOPOULOS
***two to be omitted***
Ins: 6.CÁSSIO (promoted), 17.Awer MABIL (return from international duty), 20.Paul IZZO (GK) (return from international duty), 32.Nathan KOSTANDOPOULOS (promoted)
Outs: 24.Bruce KAMAU (omitted), 30.John HALL (GK) (omitted)
Unavailable: Cameron WATSON (toe – 2-3 weeks), Jordan ELSEY (wrist – 5 weeks), 15.Ben WARLAND (ankle – 4 weeks)
Perth Glory squad: 1.Daniel VUKOVIC (GK) 2.Jack CLISBY, 3.Brandon O’NEILL, 4.Riley WOODCOCK , 5.Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 6.Dino DJULBIC, 7.Youssouf HERSI, 9.Andy KEOGH, 10.Nebosja MARINKOVIC, 11.Richard GARCIA, 13.Diogo FERREIRA, 15.Jamie MACLAREN, 17.Mitch NICHOLS,18.Jack DUNCAN (GK), 20.Daniel DE SILVA , 21.Scott JAMIESON, 23.Michael THWAITE (c), 24.Matt DAVIES
***two to be omitted***
Ins: 4.Riley WOODCOCK (promoted), 18.Jack DUNCAN (GK) (promoted), 20.Daniel DE SILVA (promoted), 24.Matt DAVIES (promoted)
Outs: 19.Josh RISDON (ankle – 1 week), 30.Jordan THURTELL (omitted)
Unavailable: 16.Sidnei SCIOLA (calf), 8.Ruben ZADKOVICH (back), Chris HAROLD (thigh), 26.Harry O’BRIEN (groin)
