FTS A-League Round 11 Preview – Newcastle Jets vs. Adelaide United
Only three days after their FFA Cup heroics Adelaide must travel to Newcastle to partake in some more celebrations, Newcastle’s 10th anniversary match.
Newcastle enter round eleven of the season without a win, and with the worst goal difference in the league. To make matters worse the Jets will be without captain Kew Jaliens through suspension after picking up a red card against Perth last week. Jaliens has been one of the few shining lights this season and this only compounds the woes of Newcastle fans.
Adelaide will be playing their third match in 8 days and may need the adrenalin of winning the FFA Cup midweek. Expect some changes within the United squad from Gombau, but with considerable depth and a sky high confidence level this shouldn’t trouble them.
Newcastle hasn’t been playing terrible football of late, but have paid the ultimate prices for defensive lapses at times. New coach Phil Stubbins is approaching John Aloisi’s winless record but he must assure players a win is not far away. Adrian Madashi, Jeronimo Neumann, Joel Griffiths and David Carney are experienced footballers and must become accountable for the performance of their team. Season 2014/15 is quickly slipping away for Newcastle and their 10th anniversary game is the perfect opportunity to reward their loyal fans. Newcastle has a very tough month ahead of them before the Asian Cup midseason break and tonight’s game is their chance to remind the league they are a finals contender.
Adelaide on the other hand play sexy, mesmerising football. Gombau has finely tuned his players into a well built machine, capable of producing football on an entirely different level to the league. Not reliant on individuals, the scary part about Adelaide is if one player is down on performance on any given night, any one of a legion of players will step up and fill the void, a sign of a champion team. Adelaide won’t always get the desired results on a weekly basis, but the way they go about their football should account for teams such as Newcastle and Central Coast.
Surely Mark Birighitti starts this week, he would if I was naming the squad.
Eyes on…
David Carney
The former Socceroos regular promised so much when he signed with Newcastle but thus far has delivered little. There has been more than a whisper that Carney is not happy at Newcastle but he must learn to suck it up and show Newcastle fans what he is capable of. At the end of the day Carney is a professional footballer, and his club and the fans deserve far more. Sure his days in the Green and Gold are over but Friday night football is the perfect stage for Carney to turn back the clock and earn his team a vital three points they need so desperately.
Head to Head
Played: 28 Newcastle: 9 Draws: 8 Adelaide: 11
Form Guide:
Newcastle: LLDDL (9th, 4pts) Adelaide: LWLWW (3rd, 20pts)
Last time they met:
11/04/2014 – Newcastle Jets 2 defeated Adelaide United 0
Possible XI
Newcastle Jets: Birighitti, Carney, Cowburn, Madaschi, Gallagher, Neville, Hoole, Caravella, Montano, Kantarovski, Griffiths
Adelaide United: Galekovic, Goodwin, McGowan, Marrone, Elrich, Sanchez, Jeggo, Mabil, Sanchez Alberto, Cirio, Djite
Absentee List:
Newcastle Jets: Josh Barresi (knee – season), Taylor Regan (ankle – 1 week), Billy Celeski (groin – 2-3 weeks), Johnny Steele (leave of absence), Marcos Flores (match fitness – playing with youth team this week)
Adelaide United: Jordan Elsey (knee – indefinite), Paul Izzo (calf – 1-2 weeks), Osama Malik (calf 2-3 weeks), Cassio (calf 1-2 weeks), Many Adelaide fans (hangover from FFA Cup – 1 week)
Prediction:
How can you not pick Adelaide on current form? Newcastle have been disappointing but Friday night represents their chance to thank the fans for the last 10 years and gives their team free to air coverage on SBS. Everything points to a 3-1 Adelaide win.
FTS Facts
- James Virgili finds himself back in the Newcastle squad, but holds the unenviable record of 53 games without scoring.
- Jeronimo Neumann plays against his old team Adelaide for the first time. Neumann hasn’t scored at Hunter Stadium, but has an incredible 13 goals in 26 games at Coopers Stadium.
