The forward has not recovered sufficiently from the knocks he sustained against Perth Glory last week with Robert Younis set to replace him in the United attack.

Coach Aurelio Vidmar said: “He copped a couple of corky’s on the weekend and he got quite a severe one just above his knee. It has improved but not as much as we would have liked.

“He got pretty battered by the Perth defence, and they’re all pretty big boys so the way he has been playing his football for the last 15 years, it has been like that. So he’s going to cop the bruises and unfortunately for him and the team he’s come up a bit short this week so we’ll just rest him and he should be right for selection next week.”

United go into Sunday’s match against Queensland Roar looking to extend their unbeaten record at Suncorp Stadium.

Adelaide have secured two wins and two draws from the teams’ four previous meetings at the ground, however Reds Coach Aurelio Vidmar knows Sunday’s encounter is going to be an extremely difficult proposition.

He said: “It’s going to be a tough game, there is no question about that and I’m sure the boys are going to put their bodies on the line."

The Reds sit on top of the table after an opening round victory over Perth Glory but face a stern test against a Queensland Roar outfit that will want to prove it is a contender this season. The Roar has a mix of experience and youth and Vidmar knows his team will need to be at the top of its game to take something from the match.

“This is going to be a massive challenge for us, they’ve got a very good side. Frank (Farina) has slowly moulded a very competitive side and we are going to have to be smart in how we play but I certainly feel we can negate their strengths and hopefully we get a couple of chances to put some goals away,” Vidmar said.

United centre back Sasa Ognenovski lines up against his former team for the first time, which is sure to guarantee there will be no love loss between the sides in what has always proven historically to be a physical encounter.

Ognenovski had an impressive Hyundai A-League debut for The Reds last week in a defence that has conceded just three goals in the past 11 games, this run ironically going back to when United defeated Queensland Roar in the final minor round of last season.

New signing Robert Younis is set to replace Agostino and make his debut start for United, and while the 23 year-old may not have Agostino’s experience, Vidmar says he has what it takes to trouble the Roar defence.

“He’s capable, he’s very capable. He’s the same size as Ago, he’s really strong, holds up the ball well and knows where the goals are so it will be a big day for him making his debut start,” Vidmar said.