Marco Kurz says he is expecting to see his side take the initiative and dominate the game at Coopers Stadium on Sunday.
The Reds host the Central Coast Mariners and Kurz insisted that as the home team he wants United to play the match on their terms.
The Round 16 clash ends a busy period for Adelaide. They most recently held league leaders, Perth Glory, to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night before travelling back to the city of churches on Thursday.
But Kurz revealed his side are physically in top condition despite playing seven games in just under a month.
“They look good, they look focused for the game,” Kurz told the media at a pre-match press conference.
“We did a good recovery straight after the game, the best we could do.
“We gave the boys the best time to have a good sleep and to recover well and in the short session today we did a few tactical things.
“We had a team meeting to analyse our opponents tomorrow with some film from their last games looking at their strengths and weaknesses.”
📊📈📉
Also, a bit going on tomorrow…
🥫 @Foodbank_SA food drive!
👟 Kick on the Pitch presented by @hit107
🚘 Parking $4 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
🛒 Purchase a home jersey to receive a free gift pack!
🎟 Tickets: https://t.co/gO8D4iJEY4#AUFC #ADLvCCM pic.twitter.com/Q2D6indzbT— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) January 25, 2019
Danish centre-back, Michael Jakobsen, is a welcomed boost for United as he returns from a one-match suspension.
The German tactician confirmed the defender will slot straight back into the starting line-up.
However, he insisted he still has more difficult decisions to make before finalising his first 11.
“For sure Jako (Michael Jakobsen) will come back into the starting eleven,” he revealed.
“Because for us he’s a key player, he’s a centre-back with a left foot and for me he’s the organiser in the back-four line and I have to decide what I can do with the starting eleven.”
Kurz said that while they are the favourites on paper, his players cannot afford to be complacent and wants to see them assert their authority from the outset.
“Everybody expects a win and everybody expects it to be an easy game,” he said.
“… But we must play with the same focus, with the same quality, with the same level as in the last game.
“And that’s up to us how good we perform and how good we play.
“It’s always the same, if we want to reach the Finals and you play at home you must show the opponents that it’s our home ground.
“And I want to see from the boys from the first minute that they show the Mariners tomorrow that we want to win.”
Adelaide United host Central Coast Mariners in Round 16 of the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season on Sunday, 27 January at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 5.30pm ACDT. Gates open 4.30pm.
