Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip expects his side to face a stern challenge when the Club meets Adelaide United on Wednesday afternoon.
Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip expects his side to face a stern challenge when the Club meets Adelaide United on Wednesday afternoon.
Adelaide have made significant strides forward over the past fortnight, as new coach John Kosmina breathed life into the Reds campaign.
Following a strong 2-2 draw with Sydney FC, United claimed a 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix at home, strengthening the South Australian side-s resolve ahead of the pivotal match-up.
And van ‘t Schip is certain United will demonstrate significant improvement once again during Heart-s midweek fixture.
Staging an entertaining 1-1 draw during the side-s only previous meeting this season, history suggests another swashbuckling encounter is on the cards, with Heart and United match-ups rarely eschewing drama.
“They got two good results (against) Sydney and their last game against Wellington was confident and they played fresh and a little bit different,” van ‘t Schip said.
“It’s always good if a new trainer comes in and you start getting results because the group can immediately get a different kind of feeling.”
In four previous meetings, Adelaide United has twice triumphed over Melbourne Heart FC, with the Red and White-s sole victory a stirring come from behind 2-1 win in John Aloisi-s Hindmarsh Stadium swansong.
Van ‘t Schip will be forced to make changes to his side ahead of the match with Fred ruled out for up to a fortnight with a groin strain, while Wayne Srhoj and Jonatan Germano remain unavailable after missing last week-s trip to Sydney.
Nick Kalmar and Kliment Taseski are the remaining members of the Heart injury list, with neither midfielder set to play any part throughout January.
