R15 Preview: MetroStars v Adelaide United
MetroStars v Adelaide United
PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia Round 15
When: Saturday, June 18. Kick-off 3pm
Where: TK Shutter Reserve, Fourth Avenue, KLEMZIG
Teams:
MetroStars: 1. Isaac Carmody, 4. Justin Davis, 5. Timothy Henderson, 6. Anthony Solagna, 7. Michael D Aloisio, 8. Rocky Callisto, 9. Jonathan Negus, 10. Liam Wooding, 12. Terry Theodorou, 13. Bailey Truscott, 14. Stefan Simic, 15. Yuki Nakaki, 16. Alexander Jakob, 17. Doni Pollock, 18. Fabian Barbiero, 19. Joseph Polisena, 21. Adam Van Dommele (C), 24. Travis Dodd, 25. Callum Piantadosi (GK)
Adelaide United: Ryan Strain, Aladin Irabona, Marc Marino, Jordan Maricic, 1. Daniel Margush (GK), 2. Zack Gomez, 3. Christopher Vivian, 5. Tommy Stokes, 6. Jordan Elliott, 8. Jordan O'Doherty, 9. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, 14. Blake Carpenter, 17. Clifford Maina, 18. Johnny Koutroumbis, 19. Alec Maiolo, 20. Isaac Richards (GK), 21. Paul Wilson, 22. Riley Mcgree, 30. John Hall (GK)
Form:
MetroStars: W L W
Round 13: MetroStars 1-0 Raiders, TK Shutter Reserve
Round 14: Campbelltown City 2-1 MetroStars, Steve Woodcock Sports Centre
Westfield FFA Cup Qualifying Semi-final: MetroStars 3-1 Croydon, Elite Systems Football Centre
Adelaide United: L L L
Round 12: Adelaide Blue Eagles 2-1 Adelaide United, Marden Sports Complex
Round 13: West Torrens Birkalla 2-0 Adelaide United, Jack Smith Park
Round 14: Adelaide United 1-3 South Adelaide, Elite Systems Football Centre
Preview:
Both MetroStars and Adelaide United can climb into the top six as they clash in Round 15 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia at TK Shutter Reserve this Saturday.
MetroStars recovered from a weekend loss against Campbelltown City to advance to next weekend’s Westfield FFA Cup Qualifying Final. The 3-1 Semi-final success over Croydon was their fourth in five matches in all competitions.
Coach Rob Saraceno was thrilled with progression to the decider.
“It was a really good night for the club. The players are happy that we have the chance to win silverware,” he said.
“It was an even first half and both sides were quite good. We began to dominate in the second half and got lucky with the second goal. Defensively we were strong.
“The attitude of the players has been positive of late. Confidence grows with results, which weren’t coming earlier on. The self-belief is rising.”
Before MetroStars aims for silverware they must concentrate on league matters. Currently seventh, a win over Adelaide United would not only give Klemzig club the opportunity to return to the top six, but also put space between themselves and the Reds.
Saraceno is anticipating a close encounter and says backing up from Wednesday won’t be an issue.
“I won’t make any presumptions about where we will finish. We go forward one game at a time. Hopefully we can do enough to get up there.
“They have been up and down lately, but are a quick side. We saw that last time, although we are a bit better now.
“Clubs have big squads these days, so backing up won’t be a problem at all.”
Having started the season in superb fashion, defeat against South Adelaide last weekend was Adelaide United’s seventh in the past eight outings.
Assistant coach Ivan Karlovic said the Reds failed to capitalise on early domination in the 3-1 loss.
“It’s disappointing. We didn’t capitalise on opportunities and domination early on. We were punished for our errors and South scored. Once you are three goals down it is hard to get back into it,” he said.
“We did ok early on and had a lot of possession, but we didn’t capitalise. We made silly errors which resulted in goals and we need to get better at eradicating those mistakes.”
The Reds have been busy on the transfer front of late, most recently adding Aladdin Irabona, Jordan Maricic and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos to the squad.
Despite the changes ex-MetroStars coach Karlovic is not ruling out a tilt at the finals, ahead of this crucial encounter.
“We have made a number of changes to the squad, which has become a lot younger. That affects performances, but we feel we are getting more settled.
“We want to stay in the top league. That’s the best position for these players to develop. We are not dismissing finals and feel we have enough quality to do well.
“MetroStars made a few changes and are getting better results. They are a quality side with a lot of experience.
“It’s not really an advantage that they played in midweek. We have to concentrate on ourselves.”
Written by Luca Cetta - @l_cetta
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.