Danny Tiatto will definitely miss the Hindmarsh Stadium clash with fellow midfielders Marcinho and Michael Zullo facing a race against time to be fit for the crucial outing.

According to Roar physio Tony Ganter, Tiatto’s groin strain will sideline him for at least a fortnight, with Zullo (knee) and Marcinho (hamstring & shoulder) rated as ‘50/50’.

“Danny Tiatto has a grade 2 groin strain so he’s going to be missing for a couple of weeks,” said Ganter.

“Michael Zullo has a cartilage injury to his right knee, so at this stage there is some doubt about him but he’ll see the doctor tomorrow. He’s probably got enough function to train on Wednesday and we’ll have a look again, but that’s dependent on the doctor’s advice.

“Marcinho’s left shoulder sprain has pulled up well as it was only a grade 1, but he’s sustained a slight injury to the hamstring in his left leg so we’ll have to monitor that which puts him a little bit of doubt too. At this stage the best we can say about both players is that they’re 50/50 to make the game this week.”

The good news for Roar surrounded key midfielder Matt McKay who trained today and looks on course to win his fitness battle for Adelaide and take his place in the squad.

Roar boss Frank Farina refused to press the panic button but will almost certainly be faced with some selection dilemmas with the squad due to travel south early on Thursday morning.

“Marcinho did a bit of running this morning but not much. We’ll have a look at him on Wednesday and a few will do a bit of a light session tomorrow (Tuesday), but he’s (Marcinho) in doubt so we’ve got a squad that’s struggling at the moment,” Farina said.

He continued: “Adelaide away; it’s a tough place to go and they’re flying at the moment. They’re a good side and as I said at the start of the season, they’re one of the best sides in the league and very difficult to play against, particularly away from home. But we’ve got to turn up so we’ll do our best.”

Farina added that he expected no morale hangover from Saturday’s late goal from the Glory that denied his side all three points, but admitted it was a bitter pill to swallow.

“Of course we were very disappointed we didn’t get the three points, but the morale amongst the boys is good," he said.

"As you’d expect when you concede a goal three minutes into injury time, it’s demoralising, particularly when you had a win in the bag.

"But it’s football; these things happen and it’s what makes the game so enjoyable and frustrating at the same time."

He added: “The lads are in good spirits though so I don’t think there’ll be a problem lifting again for this week.

"We showed great character to come back the way we did after a bad start and that says a lot about this squad.”