City Head Coach John van’t Schip says he’s looking forward to the challenge of taking on the most rampant team in the league as City travel to the City of Churches to take on the Reds this Friday.
The side head into the clash coming off an important 3-0 win over Sydney FC last week and a win this weekend could lift his side into Premier’s Plate contention.
A 4-2 win over the Reds saw City take the points in the only encounter between the two sides earlier in the season and the Head Coach knows Adelaide will be a different entity.
“Looking at the games they played and even the game we played there, it was a very open game, they had chances, it went our way and of course it was a great win.” van’t Schip said
“As we know, games get decided on certain moments and we took the moments better than they did. They are on a run now where it is all going their way with good play so they have the confidence and they’re a team that’s really on fire.
“We love to go for the challenge and play this game, that’s what it’s all about. We want to improve and also make sure we are up for a game like this so we are heading into this game wanting to show what we can do.
“We certainly think we are a chance and that we can give them a hard time but we also need to know their strengths, so I think the boys are looking forward to this kind of game.”
van’t Schip confirmed that Anthony Caceres will miss this week due to a quad strain at training on Tuesday, but with only Corey Gameiro on the long-term injury list and a clean sheet under the team’s belt last week, things are looking positive for City as the race to the Premier’s Plate and Championship heats up.
“It’s very important, the boys understand that if we get that point right (clean sheets), we can really play a big role in the last games of this league and heading into playoffs,” he said.
“If you don’t get that right, it gives an uncertainty to the team. We saw some good signs before the Sydney game so we are in a good direction now in getting that good and we get a great test tomorrow against Adelaide.
“They are a team that is always playing good football, creating chances. In different kinds of ways, they like to rip open opponents so we have to be prepared and analyse and be ready as a team to defend them.
“At the end of the league, the momentum you are in at the moment is important. In five or six games, things change so if we have a good result against Adelaide, we are in the mix as well.
City take on Adelaide this Friday night at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off 7:40pm. See the match on SBS and Fox Sports 505.
