Adelaide United defender, Osama Malik, says the Reds are confident and ready to host Sydney FC in their Westfield FFA Cup Round of 16 match at Coopers Stadium on Wednesday night.
The fixture is the first time the two sides will meet since their semi-final clash in May earlier this year with Malik highlighting the squad’s self-belief, stating nothing has changed since the appointment of Guillermo Amor.
“We know Sydney are a quality side and by all reports they have brought in some quality players,” said Malik.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but with the team we have and if we are playing good football I think we can get the win.
“The fact that Guillermo has come in now, nothing’s really changed and we are still heading down the same path. We have brought in some quality players of our own and I think we have more depth than in the last few years, so we are confident in our team and I think we can do well.”
Malik continued to speak about the preparation of the team heading into the game, mentioning the fact that the squad takes each game as seriously as any and ensures to play to the best of their ability.
“Preparation has been pretty similar since playing Darwin Olympic a couple of weeks ago,” said Malik.
“But we treat every game as if it’s the best team we could be playing against, so we need to be mentally ready to play for the 90 or 120 minutes if required.
“We have tasted victory before in the Westfield FFA Cup and we know how sweet it is, so we are going to do everything in our power to defend what’s ours”.
Head-coach of Adelaide United, Guillermo Amor, agreed with Malik, but added the side is fit and available and stressed the importance of the match in producing a performance for the fans.
“We think this game is important for us, for the players, for the club and more importantly for Adelaide, in general” said Amor.
“For us, the FFA Cup is an important competition because we are the team that won it last year.
“But at this time we are prepared with a good team and good players and now this is our moment to play.”
Adelaide United take on Sydney FC in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 16 at Coopers Stadium on Wednesday 26 August. Kick-off 7:00pm. Click here, to purchase your tickets now.
