Adelaide United were cruising a couple of weeks ago and were the talk of league after going through their first 11 matches without a loss.
But the past two games have brought the Reds back to earth with a thud with consecutive losses to Melbourne Victory (2-1) and Brisbane Roar (4-0).
Injuries clearly played a part in the second loss with playmakers Mathew Leckie and Marcos Flores unable to take the field whilst the first one you could put down to a distinct inability to defeat arch rivals the Victory.
A new challenge arises tonight with the most out of form team in the A-League travelling to Hindmarsh Stadium for a midweek fixture.
Perth Glory have lost eight of their last nine outings (the non-loss was a scoreless draw with Melbourne Heart) and have failed to score in their past four, indicating that this trip may be too much for them.
The loss of captain Jacob Burns to suspension plus two injuries to unnamed players has Ian Ferguson's men in a very precarious position and the return of Adelaide star Flores can only spell danger.
I feel that this is the perfect match for the Reds to play themselves back into form and bridge the gap with flying league leaders Brisbane Roar to just one point.
Verdict: Adelaide 2-0
Adelaide United v Perth GloryDate: Wednesday, 10 November 2010 Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Local kick-off: 6.30pm (7.00pm AEDT) Referee: Ryan Shepheard
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 2, FS2 HD and Sky Sport 1 (NZ). Hyundai A-League club radio broadcast partners are ABC Digital (Adelaide) and 882 6PR (Perth). To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 4.Iain FYFE, 6.CASSIO, 7.Lucas PANTELIS (c), 8.Adam HUGHES, 9.Sergio VAN DIJK, 10.Marcos FLORES, 12.Paul REID, 13.Travis DODD, 16.Inseob SHIN, 17.Iain RAMSAY, 18.Fabian BARBIERO, 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 24.Cameron WATSON, 26.Joe KEENAN *one to be omitted* In: Marcos FLORES (returns from injury) Out: Nil Unavailable: Daniel MULLEN (ankle - 2 weeks), Nigel BOOGAARD (ankle - 3 weeks), Mathew LECKIE (knee - 9 weeks), Lloyd OWUSU (knee - indefinite)
Perth Glory squad: 1. Tando VELAPHI (gk), 3. Jamie COYNE, 4. Andy TODD, 5. Jamie HARNWELL, 9.Robbie FOWLER, 10. Michael BAIRD, 12.Scott NEVILLE, 13. Tommy AMPHLETT, 14. Steven McGARRY, 15. Howard FONDYKE, 16. Adriano PELLEGRINO, 17. Todd HOWARTH, 18. Brent GRIFFTHS 19. Naum SEKULOVSKI, 20. Aleks VRTESKI (gk), 21. Mile STERJOVSKI, 25. Ryan PEARSON *two to be omitted* In: Steven McGARRY, Naum SEKULOVSKI, Ryan PEARSON (all promoted) Out: Jacob BURNS (suspended - 1 game) Unavailable: Chris COYNE (on loan -4 weeks), Victor SIKORA (Hip - 2 weeks)
