Adelaide United go into tonight's match against Vietnam side Gach Dong Tam Long An FC desperate to get some points on the ladder.
After their defeat against Shandong in their first game of the Asian Champions League, United will be keen to make up lost ground against the unfancied Dong Tam.
They are up against the current Vietnamese champions but considered to be possibly the weakest club in Adelaide's group...and if United want to go further into the competition, a result tonight could be vital.
But United coach Aurelio Vidmar admits he knows little about the side, having run out of time to do much homework on the side since being given the coach's job last month.
The trip is Adelaide United’s first ever journey into Asia and yesterday Vidmar put the squad through their paces at the Thanh Long Sports Complex in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Reds showed plenty of fight and character in their first match of the AFC Champions League against Shandong Luneng but were unable to capitalise, and Vidmar will be hoping his team can come out with more firepower in attack.
United strikers Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite, who showed a lot of promise up front in the first match of the AFC Champions League, have both recovered after playing for the Australian Under 23 team last Wednesday and, along with defender Rob Cornthwaite, are being carefully managed by Vidmar.
Ross Aloisi, Jason Spagnuolo and Diego are all still unavailable through injury while Bobby Petta, who was a chance to return from his foot injury, pulled up sore again and was a late withdrawal.
Lucas Pantelis is the Dutchman’s late replacement, the midfielder having fully recovered from a knee reconstruction he underwent back in May 2006.
While Vidmar still does not have his full quota to play with, he is confident of a positive result after his undermanned side’s committed performance a fortnight ago.
"Due to the fact that we had six injuries, I was only able to bring 16 players to Vietnam," said the 40-year-old.
"Unfortunately, four of those six injured players are first-team players including three of our most vital players - Diego, Jason Spagnuolo and Bobby Petta.
"The absence of Petta will affect the team quite a lot in terms of creativity," added Vidmar.
Despite its underdog status of United’s three opponents in Group G, Dong Tam Long An are still a force to be reckoned with.
Although they lost their first game 4-1, it was on a snow covered pitch in Korea, and having won the past two Vietnamese Championships, they will be an extremely difficult assignment at home.
Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio dos Santos and Vietnamese international midfielder Phan Van Tai Em will be players to watch for the V-League giants who also have a number of Vietnam National Team players.
The Adelaide United squad touched down in Ho Chi Min yesterday afternoon after a long trip via Singapore and while the team is looking forward to the game, they are under no illusions of the tough task that lies ahead.
"We will show plenty of respect to our opponents but we have come here to Vietnam to get three points.
"We lost our first match against Shandong despite enjoying much of the possession so I will probably make changes in our line-up to avoid any more awkward goal situations," the Adelaide coach said.
Playing in warm, humid conditions in Vietnam will provide new experiences for Adelaide United FC, but after playing in hot conditions throughout the summer, The Reds will be out to get their first three points of the 2007 AFC Champions League.
Dong Tam coach Henrique Calisto has other ideas though. He will be glad to see his team return to playing in fairly benign conditions after the blizzard in Korea.
However, the Portuguese coach is going into the match with lowered expectations after watching his side drop their first points of the V-League season in a goalless draw with Dong Thap on Sunday.
"In my opinion, the game against Adelaide is a big chance for my players to gain more international experience," said Calisto.
"To be realistic, I am not expecting any shocks in this game simply because there is still a big gap between the levels of football played in the two nations.
"But I hope that my team will do their best, play to their full potential and keep trying to score, just as they did at Seongnam."
Brazilian striker Antonio is out after picking up a foot injury, leaving Dong Tam with only two registered import players - Brazillian goalkeeper Santos and Congolese forward Kabanga Tshamala.
Vietnam playmaker Phan Van Tai Em will partner Nguyen Minh Phuong in central midfield.
The Adelaide squad for the match was named as:
1. DANIEL BELTRAME (GK)
2. RICHIE ALAGICH
3. KRISTIAN REES
4. ANGELO COSTANZO (Captain)
5. MICHAEL VALKANIS
7. LUCAS PANTELIS
8. CARL VEART
9. MATTHEW KEMP
10. FERNANDO
11. DEZ GIRALDI
13. TRAVIS DODD
14. AARON GOULDING
15. NATHAN BURNS
17. ADAM VAN DOMMELE
18. ROBERT CORNTHWAITE
19. BRUCE DJITE
20. ROBBIE BAJIC
They are up against the current Vietnamese champions but considered to be possibly the weakest club in Adelaide's group...and if United want to go further into the competition, a result tonight could be vital.
But United coach Aurelio Vidmar admits he knows little about the side, having run out of time to do much homework on the side since being given the coach's job last month.
The trip is Adelaide United’s first ever journey into Asia and yesterday Vidmar put the squad through their paces at the Thanh Long Sports Complex in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Reds showed plenty of fight and character in their first match of the AFC Champions League against Shandong Luneng but were unable to capitalise, and Vidmar will be hoping his team can come out with more firepower in attack.
United strikers Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite, who showed a lot of promise up front in the first match of the AFC Champions League, have both recovered after playing for the Australian Under 23 team last Wednesday and, along with defender Rob Cornthwaite, are being carefully managed by Vidmar.
Ross Aloisi, Jason Spagnuolo and Diego are all still unavailable through injury while Bobby Petta, who was a chance to return from his foot injury, pulled up sore again and was a late withdrawal.
Lucas Pantelis is the Dutchman’s late replacement, the midfielder having fully recovered from a knee reconstruction he underwent back in May 2006.
While Vidmar still does not have his full quota to play with, he is confident of a positive result after his undermanned side’s committed performance a fortnight ago.
"Due to the fact that we had six injuries, I was only able to bring 16 players to Vietnam," said the 40-year-old.
"Unfortunately, four of those six injured players are first-team players including three of our most vital players - Diego, Jason Spagnuolo and Bobby Petta.
"The absence of Petta will affect the team quite a lot in terms of creativity," added Vidmar.
Despite its underdog status of United’s three opponents in Group G, Dong Tam Long An are still a force to be reckoned with.
Although they lost their first game 4-1, it was on a snow covered pitch in Korea, and having won the past two Vietnamese Championships, they will be an extremely difficult assignment at home.
Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio dos Santos and Vietnamese international midfielder Phan Van Tai Em will be players to watch for the V-League giants who also have a number of Vietnam National Team players.
The Adelaide United squad touched down in Ho Chi Min yesterday afternoon after a long trip via Singapore and while the team is looking forward to the game, they are under no illusions of the tough task that lies ahead.
"We will show plenty of respect to our opponents but we have come here to Vietnam to get three points.
"We lost our first match against Shandong despite enjoying much of the possession so I will probably make changes in our line-up to avoid any more awkward goal situations," the Adelaide coach said.
Playing in warm, humid conditions in Vietnam will provide new experiences for Adelaide United FC, but after playing in hot conditions throughout the summer, The Reds will be out to get their first three points of the 2007 AFC Champions League.
Dong Tam coach Henrique Calisto has other ideas though. He will be glad to see his team return to playing in fairly benign conditions after the blizzard in Korea.
However, the Portuguese coach is going into the match with lowered expectations after watching his side drop their first points of the V-League season in a goalless draw with Dong Thap on Sunday.
"In my opinion, the game against Adelaide is a big chance for my players to gain more international experience," said Calisto.
"To be realistic, I am not expecting any shocks in this game simply because there is still a big gap between the levels of football played in the two nations.
"But I hope that my team will do their best, play to their full potential and keep trying to score, just as they did at Seongnam."
Brazilian striker Antonio is out after picking up a foot injury, leaving Dong Tam with only two registered import players - Brazillian goalkeeper Santos and Congolese forward Kabanga Tshamala.
Vietnam playmaker Phan Van Tai Em will partner Nguyen Minh Phuong in central midfield.
The Adelaide squad for the match was named as:
1. DANIEL BELTRAME (GK)
2. RICHIE ALAGICH
3. KRISTIAN REES
4. ANGELO COSTANZO (Captain)
5. MICHAEL VALKANIS
7. LUCAS PANTELIS
8. CARL VEART
9. MATTHEW KEMP
10. FERNANDO
11. DEZ GIRALDI
13. TRAVIS DODD
14. AARON GOULDING
15. NATHAN BURNS
17. ADAM VAN DOMMELE
18. ROBERT CORNTHWAITE
19. BRUCE DJITE
20. ROBBIE BAJIC
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