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City desperate to beat stylish Reds

Feb 27, 2015
Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau has his team playing stylish football.

Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau has his team playing stylish football.

Desperate for a win to revitalise their campaign, Melbourne City must overcome an Adelaide side that John van ‘t Schip considers the best in the A-league to watch.

A week after fighting out a dour 0-0 draw with ladder leaders Perth Glory at AAMI Park, City host a an entirely different proposition in the Reds.

Josep Gombau’s squad sit third, behind Perth and Melbourne Victory, going into Friday night’s clash, with Van ‘t Schip desperate to engineer a win in what he expects will be an open and entertaining affair.

“To watch I think they are playing the best football,” Van ‘t Schip said.

“They’re very mobile, they play very open, from the back they want to build up and they have pace so they can play in tight areas, but they can also play a direct kind of football.

“They have the solutions to get around (problems) when they need a certain way of playing – they’re doing that well.

“We like to attack, we like to play forward and they, for sure, like to play forward.

“I think it’s going to be a great game – an open game.”

City have dropped to seventh after failing to score in the past three matches, but Van ‘t Schip remains confident goals aren’t far away, with marquee striker Josh Kennedy growing in confidence as he regains match fitness.

While clearly a fan of Adelaide’s style, Van ‘t Schip believes there are some flaws that can be exploited.

“I’m not saying they’re the most balanced team because they’ve lost five games,” he said.

“So there are also points in their team that we have to punish when we can.”

United will be without some key players, defenders Osama Malik and Nigel Boogard are out injured and midfielder Isaias is suspended, but City are also undermanned with midfielder Jacob Melling joining a lengthy injury list.

Van ‘t Schip is continuing his search for one or two players to bring into the club, but admits he is struggling to find viable options this late in the season.

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