Marco Kurz believes Sunday’s Remembrance Round match against Perth Glory will be a strong test and serve as a good indication of where his side is at after four league games.
The Reds are undefeated in their past eight matches at Coopers Stadium and will hope to extend that streak when they welcome the Glory, who lie in second spot.
Last matchday, Adelaide strolled to a convincing 3-0 win over Central Coast Mariners, while Perth beat Brisbane Roar 2-1 at home.
“They’re good in shape,” Kurz said, as he highlighted Perth’s strengths at the pre-match press conference.
“They’ve a different playing style, they’ve a good coach and a coach that’s done well in every club he’s been at.
“The results are very good, it’s not easy to play against them because they stay very compact with five at the back.
“They’re very fast and good in the transition, and they’ve good offensive players and a good striker (Andy Keogh) who has scored a lot of goals.”
Huge game(s) tomorrow! #AUFC Legends blockbuster followed by a battle between second and third! #ADLvPER #RemembranceRound
🎟 Tickets: https://t.co/MfYz7mMIJS pic.twitter.com/kQTQSa0vgY
— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) November 10, 2018
Midfielders, Vince Lia and Mirko Boland, have been named in the extended squad are a shout to feature in the clash after missing last weekend through illness and injury respectively.
Kurz said while he anticipates it will be a challenging game, he was equally confident in his own team’s ability.
“I expect a very strong team from Perth, I expect a very hard game for both teams,” he said.
“Because we’re also good in shape and we’re also hungry for the three points.
“And I hope we’re the better team on the day.”
The German also added that he has been pleased with the amount of opportunities his team has recently been creating, but said they must improve on being more clinical.
He suggested that as a consequence of playing against a well-organised outfit in Perth, chances to score goals will be limited and therefore they must capitalise on any opportunity.
“I think we’ve more options and I think we’ve a lot of quality,” he said.
“We’ve had a couple of games to score more goals.
“I think we’ve the quality to create chances, but against Perth I expect that we’ll have not as many chances.
“That means we must be very sharp in the final third and with the last pass and also in the situation we must hit the target.”
Adelaide United host Perth Glory in Round 4 of the Hyundai A-League 2018/19 season on Sunday, 11 November at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 4.30pm ACDT. Gates open 1.30pm. Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports and streamed on the My Football Live App.
