WPM R27 vs Adelaide United | Fri 18th Apr | 9:35pm | Sky Sports 3

The wheels have fallen off Adelaide's title challenge, so perfect time to play them back into form & keep their Finals chances alive.

Good Friday, so make sure you buy your booze to drink away the post match sadness on Thursday.

Retre's hammy not recovered.

Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix
Friday, April 18 – Coopers Stadium – 7:35pm AEST

Adelaide United squad:
1.James DELIANOV, 3.Bart VRIENDS, 4.Jordan ELSEY, 6.Stefan MAUK, 7.Ryan KITTO, 8.ISAÍAS, 9.Luka JOVANOVIĆ, 10.Zach CLOUGH, 12.Jonny YULL, 13.Max VARTULI, 14.Jay BARNETT, 17.Ben FOLAMI, 19.Yaya DUKULY, 20.Dylan PIERIAS, 21.Javi LÓPEZ, 26.Archie GOODWIN, 42.Austin AYOUBI, 44.Ryan WHITE, 51.Panagiotis KIKIANIS, 55.Ethan ALAGICH

(Two to be omitted)
Ins: 7.Ryan KITTO (return from injury)
Outs: 62.Fabian TALLADIRA (omitted)
Unavailable: 36.Panashe MADANHA (hamstring), 54.Bailey O’NEIL (individual training)

Wellington Phoenix squad:
1. Josh OLUWAYEMI (gk), 3. Corban PIPER, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 5. Fin ROA CONCHIE, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 9. Hideki ISHIGE, 14. Alex RUFER (c), 15. Isaac HUGHES, 18. Lukas KELLY-HEALD, 19. Sam SUTTON, 23. Luke SUPYK, 25. Kazuki NAGASAWA, 27. Matt SHERIDAN, 29. Luke BROOKE-SMITH, 35. Dublin BOON (gk), 39. Jayden SMITH, 41. Nathan WALKER, 46. Lachlan CANDY

(One to be omitted)
Ins: 46. Lachlan CANDY (promoted)
Outs: 8. Paulo RETRE (injured), 17. Gabriel SLOANE-RODRIGUES (omitted)
Unavailable: 11. Stefan COLAKOVSKI (injured), 12. Chico GERALDES (injured), 30. Alby KELLY-HEALD (gk) (injured)

Is this the first time Lachlan Candy makes the team?

Why was GSR omitted?

I want to see him play.

Chiefy seems to still be under the delusion that we can avoid the trip to Darwin and so will be going all out to win our remaining games but I'd prefer we dropped Wootton and tried out LKH in a centre back partnership with Hughes. Would suggest dropping Sutton as well but we don't have other options really. 

Mainland FC

Is this the first time Lachlan Candy makes the team?

89th min sub against the Roar at the ROF back in early Feb. Overall been in 6 match days squad Soccerway tells me.

i am sure the entire club would like to get cracking on their overseas holidays but I think a trip to Darwin and a reality check would actually do this club the world of good. 

Our record is pants to say the least. The last time we won at Coopers/Hindmarsh was on the 1st of December 2019! Goal from David Ball and Davilla. I don't expect anything from this game other than a loss.   

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AucklandPhoenix

i am sure the entire club would like to get cracking on their overseas holidays but I think a trip to Darwin and a reality check would actually do this club the world of good. 

Can you expand on your reasoning on why going to Darwin would be good?

AucklandPhoenix

i am sure the entire club would like to get cracking on their overseas holidays but I think a trip to Darwin and a reality check would actually do this club the world of good. 

Can you expand on your reasoning on why going to Darwin would be good?

Are we actually going to Darwin. Or is this some inside joke that I don’t get..

Ninja

Are we actually going to Darwin. Or is this some inside joke that I don’t get..

Bottom 4 clubs go to Darwin for Australia Cup playoffs at the end of the season

Here are the reasons:

1: The A league off season is one of the longest in football. Why not be playing for two more weeks then lying on a beach in Fiji having a cold one.

2: If they have a good season next season they will need to get used to additional games at that time of year.

3: The team that is top of the league has demonstrated  superior fitness over all other teams. May as well start getting to that level now.

4: Hopefully it’s a shark hole where they are staying. Sometimes a stick is useful and they know what the carrot is in this case next year.

5: A number of the younger players won’t be around during preseason due to the under 20 World Cup. May as well start embedding what they want to achieve next year now. Chief was using last offseason as an excuse and I can’t see how it is better next.

I’m sure there are at least another 5 valid reasons but that will do for now. 

Hopefully the games are televised 

Not the worst time to be facing Adelaide considering their form...not that ours is much better

Southernix

Ninja

Are we actually going to Darwin. Or is this some inside joke that I don’t get..

Bottom 4 clubs go to Darwin for Australia Cup playoffs at the end of the season

Brutal.

Nagasawa benched. I thought he'd been one of our best the last few games.

Yes, I do not quite understand that decision.

That type of manoeuvre does make me want to question the coach again.

Getting tired of these defender packed games with lack of skill. 

Adelaide has a very shaky defence but I do worry about the number of shots we are going to have 

Going for total defensive lock out then score as Adelaide get frustrated. Kosta to do the business.

We have won once in Adelaide (2-1 in 2019) in the last decade.

My expectations are firmly on the floor.

They have everything to play for, the Nix nothing.
Wootton & Sutton know they are leaving. Expecting a flat performance. Happy to be wrong.

It's these circumstances where a 20 team A League split into A1 & A2 divisions with pro/rel would actually make the end of the the season interesting. The 'threat' of having to go to warm Darwin in late May not quite the same thing.

Fire it up! 🔥 

i think chiefy's missed a beat here. he could have played piper up top and slipped another defender into the XI

I don’t understand. Ishige was involved in the build up of a couple of very good goals by playing deeper and now he’s back further forward and we’ve got a CB converted to midfield this game and a RB converted a month ago. 

when he (Ishige) just dropped in to a 10 position, did well, beat somemen. none of our midfielders made a run to get in front of him. no intention to attack.

All those defenders on the park for us and we don't mark the guy at the back post. Fudge me.

Fudge me that was shark

everyone facing the ball. no one with the body open and head lifted to see and deal with the runs

OK. Fantastic.

Goodbye Chiefy

Well, this is enjoyable

Jeezez 

The players might be condemning Chiefy here. Making it really hard for the higher ups to extend Chiefy's contract right now. 

so many defenders. no one actually defending. must be taking turns.

What are these blokes in yellow doing?

Well Jesus.  I have never turned off a Nix game but if the next 20 mins is more of this shark then there's potentially a first time for everything.

We could try and actually put some tackles and blocks in!

Can we give Chiefy his marching orders at half time 

So much wrong with our whole setup. Hard to know where to start (not just referring to the disaster unfolding before our eyes)