Adelaide United will host Melbourne City in the Hyundai A-League’s first Semi-Final of the 2015/16 season at Coopers Stadium on Friday.
After Melbourne City defeated Perth Glory at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon, Adelaide United’s opponent for their Semi-Final was revealed.
As a result of finishing top of the Hyundai A-League at the conclusion of the domestic campaign, the Reds earned the right to face the lowest ranked side in their home Semi-Final.
Going into the Finals Series, Melbourne Victory was the lowest ranked club (6th), but following its defeat at the hands of Brisbane Roar (3rd), United were bound to face the winner of City’s (4th) clash with Glory (5th).
Adelaide Head Coach, Guillermo Amor, said he is pleased to have his side facing City, in what he’s described as another tough game.
“We are happy to be facing Melbourne City this week at Coopers Stadium,” Amor said. “This will be another difficult game for us because they are a strong team and have showed that this season.
“They played good on Sunday and did well to progress into the Semi-Final, but we have a lot of belief that we will be able to win the match.
“In our home, Coopers, with our fans, we are a very difficult team to play and we will do everything to win this game by focusing on our football, which has been so beneficial for us this season.”
United’s Captain, Eugene Galekovic, agreed with his Head Coach, but added the Reds’ recent performances against City will stand them in good stead when the two sides meet on Friday.
“We know City are full of quality and we will need to be at our best to beat them, but we’re confident in our abilities,” Galekovic said.
“In the games we’ve played against them this season, they’ve pushed us each time, but our performances have been very good – most notably our 2-0 win in Round 27.
“Obviously Finals football is different to the normal season, but we have made sure to use our week off in the best possible way in terms of our preparation, and we cannot wait to get out there on Friday night.”
