Seeking to make it three wins from three home games in the league this season, Adelaide United welcome Newcastle Jets to the Hindmarsh Stadium in round nine of the A-League on Tuesday.
The Jets, who have lost each of the last five meetings between the teams since March 2020, will be looking to get one over the home side and end their two-game losing streak.
Match preview
Adelaide United failed to return to winning ways two Saturdays ago when they suffered a 3-1 loss against Wellington Phoenix at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
In a game where Ben Halloran received his marching orders, Oskar Zawada and Bozhidar Kraev scored either side of Craig Goodwin's 12th-minute equaliser to hand the hosts a 2-1 first-half lead before Yan Sasse made sure of the result with a 61st-minute effort.
This followed a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw against Brisbane Roar at the Kayo Stadium on December 9 which saw the 2008 AFC Champions League winner's run of three consecutive victories come to an end.
Carl Veart's side now return home where they have won their last two matches and are unbeaten in each of their last eight league outings, claiming an impressive seven wins and one draw since April's 1-0 loss against Melbourne Victory.
With 12 points from eight matches, Adelaide United are currently fifth in the A-League table, but could rise as high as second place with all three points on Tuesday.
Newcastle Jets, on the other hand, continue to struggle for form in the new campaign as they were thrashed 3-0 by Central Coast Mariners when the sides squared off last Wednesday.
In a one-sided affair at the Central Coast Stadium, Marco Tulio, Jason Cummings and Beni Nkololo all found the back of the net to hand the Mariners their fourth league win of the season.
Prior to that, the Jets ended their three-game losing streak in their first outing after the World Cup break when they secured a 2-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners on December 11 before falling to a 1-0 home loss against Brisbane Roar five days later.
After kicking off the 2022-23 campaign with two successive victories, Arthur Papastamatis's side have picked up just three points from the last 18 available to sit 10th in the league table, two points off rock-bottom Perth Glory.
While Newcastle Jets will be looking to arrest their slump and steer clear of the bottom of the table, Tuesday's game pits them against an Adelaide United side who have won each of the last five meetings between the teams and are unbeaten in 16 of their last 20 encounters since January 2013.
Team News
Adelaide United will be without Halloran through suspension, while 26-year-old defender Ben Warland is set to sit out his third consecutive game after coming off injured against Melbourne Victory on November 11.
Zach Clough has been out of action since October through a muscle problem, while Harry Van Der Saag picked up an injury back in November.
Goodwin has been a standout performer for the Reds this season, and the 31-year-old, who has eight goals involvements in eight league matches, will certainly be one to keep an eye on.
Brandon O'Neill missed the trip to Central Coast Mariners last time out and the Australian midfielder is a major doubt for Newcastle Jets.
He is joined on the club's injury table by 24-year-old defender James McGarry, who has missed the last three matches after picking up an injury in November's game against Melbourne City.
Adelaide United possible starting lineup:
Gauci; Lopez, Barr, Popovic, Kitto; D'Arrigo, Prados; Ibusuki, Alagich, Cavallo; Goodwin
Newcastle Jets possible starting lineup:
Duncan; Hoffman, Elsey, Natta, Ingham; Thurgate, Al-Taay; Sotirio, Dartsmelia, Stynes; Mikeltadze
We say: Adelaide United 2-0 Newcastle Jets
Adelaide will be looking to quickly bounce back following their disappointing performance at Wellington Phoenix last time out. They have enjoyed a fine run of results on home turf this season and we are backing them to extend their dominance over the Jets on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
