A-League Elimination Final – Adelaide v Wellington – Betting Preview

Posted by gmorgan on Feb 18, 2011 in A-League, Soccer Betting, Sport | 0 comments

The A-League Finals Series gets underway tonight and football guru Gareth Morgan has taken a look at the cut throat match between Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix

Elimination Final
Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix
Hindmarsh Stadium
Friday 18th February 2011

Adelaide United’s disappointment at having to face a sudden-death elimination final after occupying second-place for the majority of the regular season will be tempered, at least a little, by the fact that they will welcome Wellington Phoenix to Hindmarsh Stadium. Not only are the Kiwi outfit notoriously poor travellers, but they have also been handed the shortest turnaround of all the top six sides having played last Sunday against North Queensland.
While coach Ricki Herbert has voiced his displeasure at the scheduling, he is not one for whingeing and has preferred to focus upon this week’s team news which has been pretty positive for the men in yellow and black.
Not only is skipper Andrew Durante set to return from suspension, but Paul Ifill could be also be a shock inclusion on the bench. The talismanic midfielder has completed a quicker than expected recovery from the leg and ankle injury that looked to have brought his season to a premature end and while not yet fully match-fit, may well be up to a cameo substitute appearance if required.
Vince Lia, meanwhile, is still battling to overcome his hamstring strain, while Perth-bound goalkeeper Danny Vukovic will presumably be handing out tips to Chris Greenacre, Dylan Macallister and co after scoring from the spot against Fury last weekend.
As for the Reds, they managed to round off an indifferent end to the regular season with an impressive second win over former bogey team Melbourne Victory, leaving coach Rini Coolen understandably delighted.
The Dutchman’s smile is likely to broaden still further ahead of Friday’s crunch clash, with key duo Sergio van Dijk and Cassio both expected to recover from thigh injuries in time to feature.
Winger Andy Slory should also be available despite picking up a calf strain against Victory and Osama Malik may force his way onto the bench after shrugging off a hamstring problem.
Phoenix can take heart from both the possible return of Ifill and the fact that they won at Hindmarsh barely a fortnight ago, but the Reds were impressive against Victory last time out and roared on by a partisan home crowd, should just edge a close one.
Prediction: Adelaide United 2-1 Wellington Phoenix

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