Marco Kurz believes Adelaide United cannot afford to underestimate the inconsistent Perth Glory as they harbour aspirations of a top four berth.
The fifth-placed Reds have recorded just two home wins this season and know the importance of collecting three points at Coopers Stadium on Saturday night.
Last matchday, Adelaide travelled to Wellington Phoenix and secured a determined 1-0 win, while the Glory ended a five-match losing streak to defeat Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1.
Saturday’s game will be the third meeting between the pair this season with Adelaide most recently prevailing 3-0 at nib Stadium in Round 14.
Kurz was wary of the unpredictable Glory outfit, who currently lie in eighth spot and on their day can beat any side.
He highlighted some of their attacking threats and said their most recent signings have provided them with great experience.
“They want to take our spot for the finals, they’ve a high motivation,” Kurz said in the pre-match press conference.
“They need points and have two new experienced players in their squad, a midfielder (Neil Kilkenny) and a centre-back (Dino Djulbic).
“In my view they’ve a strong team, a team that works very hard on the pitch, a team with very good offensive players in their team.
“(Diego) Castro is a beautiful individual player, (Andy) Keogh is a very hard worker but understands the game and he’s clever in the box.
“And also they’ve two very fast wingers with (Chris) Harold and (Joel) Chianese and also (Jacob) Italiano who’s a good player.”
Kurz went on to add that remaining defensively disciplined will be crucial to securing the victory as well as being equally clinical in attack.
“We know about this quality and we need a concentrated performance for ninety minutes,” he said.
“I think it’s very important to have a compact formation against them.
“And also the next step is to create chances and to score goals because if you score no goals then you don’t have a chance to win the game.”
Boosting the team’s chances of success is the addition of Club Captain, Isaías, who returns from a one-match suspension.
The German was delighted to have the influential Spaniard at his disposal.
“It’s good to know that our Captain is back,” he said.
“I think we feel comfortable with Isa (Isaías) in our team.”
Last five meetings
0-3 win @ nib Stadium
1-0 loss @ nib Stadium
1-1 draw @ Coopers Stadium
0-5 loss @ Coopers Stadium
3-1 loss @ nib Stadium
Adelaide United host Perth Glory in Round 19 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Saturday, 3 February at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
