Adelaide Blue Eagles v Campbelltown City
South Australia National Premier League Round 14

When: Saturday, May 24th. Kick-off 3pm
Where: Marden Sports Complex, 65 Lower Portrush Road, MARDEN

Teams:

Adelaide Blue Eagles: Michael Catford (GK), Adam Harris, Stephen Annicchiarico, Christopher Atsikbasis, Christopher Annicchiarico, Pietro Piantedosi, Yvan Boyokino, Damien Crettenden, Fortunato Filletti, Sheku-Bah Saccoh, Johnny Giannitto, Adam Vizzari, Fabio Cona, Kym Harris, Calvin Mbarga, Pietro Piantedosi, Milos Tosic

Campbelltown City: Ben Moore (GK), Shaun Harvey, Mark Graham, Vas Parhas, Tony Hatzis, Oliver Totani, Jake Halliday, Todd McSorley, Michael Matricciani, Mark Marino, Jake Monaco, Michael Paleka, Matthew Bouzalas, luigi DiTroia, Tomas Dama, Nick Harpas (RGK)

Form:

Adelaide Blue Eagles: W L L

Round 11: Adelaide Blue Eagles 2-0 Western Strikers, Marden Sports Complex
Round 12: MetroStars 4-1 Adelaide Blue Eagles, TK Shutter Reserve
Round 13: Adelaide Blue Eagles 0-2 Raiders, Whyalla Croatia Park

Campbelltown City: W W D

Round 11: Campbelltown City 3-0 Raiders, Steve Woodcock Sports Centre
Round 12: Campbelltown City 1-0 Adelaide City, Steve Woodcock Sports Centre
Round 13: West Adelaide 1-1 Campbelltown City, Adelaide Shores Football Centre

Preview:

On Saturday afternoon, traditional rivals Adelaide Blue Eagles and Campbelltown City will do battle at Marden Sports Complex in Round 14 of the South Australia National Premier League.

But with just one point separating the Eastern rivals, there is more than just pride on the line, as both sides will be desperate to gain three points in the first round of the second half of the season.

After the opening 13 rounds, Adelaide Blue Eagles find themselves in sixth position, sitting one point behind fourth-placed Campbelltown.

Blue Eagles will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, after suffering a 4-1 loss to MetroStars, followed by a 2-0 defeat in Whyalla against Raiders.

Vice-captain Christopher Annicchiarico, who will be wearing the armband in place of the suspended Gino De Lucia, said his side is looking to rectify an unfortunate two weeks.

“The Metro game we were caught napping in the first half and we were penalized for that,” Annicchiarico said.

“Against Raiders, we actually played pretty well in the first half, we controlled things, but unfortunately just before half time we conceded a goal and then we had to try and change the game.

“It’s still positive around the club; we’re really looking forward to the big derby this weekend and hopefully we can rectify things and get the three points.”

Annicchiarico underlined the importance of a good result against their rivals.

“Any derby is huge, but particularly this week given the position of the two teams on the table. It’s quite tight, there’s a lot of teams up there, so three points are a high priority this weekend.

“We’ve tried to prepare like any other game and just focus on what we have to do and how we want to play.

“We don’t like to dedicate much time towards how certain teams play, we just like to focus on what we have to do and that’s how we usually prepare.”

Meanwhile, Campbelltown come into the derby off a four-match unbeaten streak, defeating MetroStars, Raiders and Adelaide City, before holding league leaders West Adelaide to a 1-1 draw.

Red Devils captain Vasilis Parhas spoke about how his side began their positive patch of form.

“We probably had one of our poorest performances leading into the last run of games, and as a group we set a standard that we weren’t going to drop below following that particular game,” Parhas said.

“We’ve ramped up our intensity at training and during games, and really committed to setting new standards each week. I think it has shown in the results.”

Parhas said Campbelltown’s preparations have been no different to previous weeks, despite the significance of the tie.

“It’s always critical for us to do well against Blue Eagles; regardless of where we are on the ladder, regardless of where they are on the ladder, the games mean a lot for both clubs.

“It’d obviously be very nice to get the three points and push ahead a little bit. We’re very conscious that if they get the points, then they’ll jump us, so we don’t need too much more motivation to go in and put our best foot forward.

“We’ve been as intense as we can be at training and we’re looking forward to playing positive, attacking football, underpinned by a lot of hard work, so hopefully that will hold us in good stead.”

With just two points between second and sixth, a win for either side could see them potentially leapfrog into second place.

Friday May 23

Adelaide City v West Adelaide
7:30pm – Adelaide City Park, Fosters Road & Hilltop Drive, OAKDEN

Saturday May 24

Croydon Kings v Adelaide Comets
3pm – Polonia Reserve, 7 Essex Cresent, CROYDON PARK

Cumberland United v Western Strikers
3pm – A.A. Bailey Reserve, Winona Avenue, CLARENCE GARDENS

South Adelaide v Raiders
3pm – O'Sullivans Beach Sports Complex, Galloway Road, O'SULLIVANS BEACH

West Torrens Birkalla v Para Hills Knights
3pm – Jack Smith Park, Morphett Road, NOVAR GARDENS

White City v MetroStars
7pm – Frank Mitchell Park, 55 Minnis Street, WOODVILLE WEST