Date: Saturday, September 4
Kick-off: 7:30pm AEST
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium
Head-to-head
Sydney FC wins 9, Adelaide United wins 6, draws 2
Previous Meeting
Sydney 1, Adelaide United 0, Sydney Football Stadium, Round 21 2009/10
History
Sydney FC and Adelaide have endured some epic battles throughout their history and have even shared a coach, with Reds' inaugural coach John Kosmina taking over the Sky Blues in 2007 after the sacking of Branko Culina. Among the most memorable matches was a 3-2 victory to United in a star studded game headlined by Sydney FC captain Dwight Yorke, where Japanese import Kazu scored a brace only to be outdone by classy Reds' forward Fernando (Rech), who bagging a double, supported by Chinese international Shengqing Qu.
Season So Far
Sydney FC: DLLD
Adelaide United: DDWW
Match Committee
Terry McFlynn (hamstring) and Alex Brosque (ankle) are both out for two weeks, with the champions fielding an otherwise full strength squad. New signing Brazilian, Bruno Cazarine has been named but whether he plays will be determined by his pending clearance.
United welcome back Robert Cornthwaite from injury with Shin dropping out of the squad, but still await the service of Travis Dodd (groin), Fabian Barbiero (ankle), Nigel Boogaard (ankle) and Lloyd Owusu (knee). The captain, Dodd, is expected to return in over a month while Barbiero could come back as early as a fortnight. Boogaard is still 10 weeks away with Owusu's return still not yet determined.
Danger men
Marcos Flores hit back at the media for claiming he was in doubt for the clash with the Fury by scoring his first A-League goal for Adelaide United. The Argentine controlled the ball with his chest inside 18 yards and turned and volleyed in one motion and put on a celebration to match. The playmaker is beginning to show his talent with a full preseason under his belt and is the creative force in the Reds' midfield. The hard, tough edge to United's midfield is provided by Paul Reid, who has collected votes for his performance in the middle of the park in the Reds' past two matches. The tail-end to Reid's last season was crippled by injury but his return to the squad, also with a full preseason under his belt, has brought stability to United's starting XI.
Nick Carle has yet to shine and live up to expectations but the longer the season goes the more the classy playmaker will stamp his authority once again on the league. The 2007 Johnny Warren Medal winner could hold the key to Sydney's fortunes and when Carle hits some form the defending champions' slow start will be arrested. Scott Jamieson will also be out to perform against his former side and playing in a more advanced role on the left with Sydney, scored his first A-League goal this season. Jamieson will know all about his opponents and will endure a tough battle with ex team-mate Matthew Leckie down United's right-hand side.
At the end of the day….
It is hard to imagine that the Reds are second on the ladder after an injury ravaged preseason, under-strength squad and a new coach who has only had just under two months with the team. The defending champions meanwhile are near full strength, bottom of the league and still without a win. Sydney holds the wood over Adelaide