An intriguing event pits second against third in the A-League's Week 16 opener on Friday night.
Adelaide United returned to form with a 2-0 away win over Melbourne Heart last week and will be buoyed by the fact they were able to keep a clean sheet despite being tested for much of the 90 minutes at AAMI Park.
Gold Coast showed that they have plenty of character with a fighting 3-2 win over Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on Sunday even though they had a number of first choice players on the sidelines.
They will be boosted by the return of striker Bruce Djite but that is offset by the ankle injury to goalkeeper Glen Moss who was in fine form against the Mariners.
But at Hindmarsh Stadium, the Reds are very tough to beat and the return og right-back Daniel Mullen and key midfielder Paul Reid to the squad will make Rini Coolen's selection decisions very tough.
An extremely difficult match to pick but there is no big drama if both sides gain a single point so a draw may be the way to go.
Verdict: 1-1 draw
Adelaide United vs. Gold Coast UnitedDate: Friday, 26 November 2010 Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Local kick-off: 7:30pm (8.00pm AEDT) Referee: Peter Green Head-to-Head: All matches (played 4): Adelaide United wins 0, Gold Coast United wins 1 (3 draws) Match facts:-Dino Djulbic is set to make his 50th Hyundai A-League appearance. - Gold Coast United will be aiming to maintain their record of being the only club yet to lose an away match this season.
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 1, FS1 HD and Sky Sport 3 (NZ). Hyundai A-League club radio broadcast partners are ABC Digital (Adelaide). To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
Special note: Turn up early and support the Lady Reds as they take on Melbourne Victory at Hindmarsh Stadium, 4.45pm kick-off before the main game at 7.30pm.
Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 4.Iain FYFE, 5.Daniel MULLEN, 6.CASSIO, 7.Lucas PANTELIS, 8.Adam HUGHES, 9.Sergio VAN DIJK, 10.Marcos FLORES, 12.Paul REID, 13.Travis DODD (c), 16.Inseob SHIN, 17.Iain RAMSAY, 18.Fabian BARBIERO, 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 24.Cameron WATSON *one to be omitted* In: Daniel MULLEN (returns from injury), Paul REID (returns from suspension), Inseob SHIN (promoted) Out: Joe KEENAN (stomach - 1 week), Bradley NORTON (returns to NYL) Unavailable: Nigel BOOGAARD (ankle - 2 weeks), Mathew LECKIE (knee - 7 weeks), Joe COSTA (knee - season)
Gold Coast United squad: 20.Scott HIGGINS (gk). 2.Steve PANTELIDIS, 5.ROBSON, 6.Dino DJULBIC, 7.Zenon CARAVELLA, 8.ANDERSON, 10.Jason CULINA (c), 11.Bruce DJITE, 13.Bas VAN DEN BRINK, 15.Tahj MINNIECON, 16.Kristian REES, 18.James BROWN, 19.Andrew BARISIC, 22.Adama TRAORE, 23.Steve FITZSIMMONS, 24.John CURTIS, 30.Jerrad TYSON (gk) *two to be omitted* In: Bruce DJITE (return from hamstring injury), James BROWN (promoted), Jerrad TYSON (gk) (promoted) Out: Glen MOSS (gk) (ankle injury - 1 week) Unavailable: Daniel PIORKOWSKI (ankle injury - indefinite), Matt OSMAN (knee injury - indefinite), Michael THWAITE (ankle injury - 1 week), Joel PORTER (hamstring injury - 1 week)
