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Adelaide ready for nervous A-League wait

3 minute read

Adelaide United will hope Western United slip up in their remaining three A-League games to gift them an unlikely finals berth.

Adelaide United players celebrating.
Adelaide United players celebrating. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

One of the form teams of the A-League restart, Adelaide United will now rely on other results to keep their faint finals hopes alive.

The Reds have won two and drawn three under interim coach Carl Veart and sit sixth on 36 points - just three ahead of Western United, who have three games in eight days against Perth, Sydney and Melbourne City.

Adelaide's poor goal difference (-5) means their season will realistically be over if Western (+8) beat Perth on Wednesday evening.

"We've done as much as we could so now it's up to the football gods," Veart told reporters after Adelaide completed their regular season in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with City.

"We've had a pretty tough run - five games in this short period.

"The next couple of days we'll just relax, hang around the hotel, maybe play some cricket, maybe play some board games, have a bit of fun, enjoy ourselves and watch some football.

"We'll support Perth tomorrow night and then we'll support Sydney and Melbourne City as well."

Veart has impressed since taking the reins but is yet to be awarded the job full-time.

"I've said all the way along, my only focus here was to get the best results for the club," he said.

"At the end of this, when we return to Adelaide, I'll sit down with the chairman (Piet van der Pol) and I'll sit down with Bruce (Djite) and Nathan (Kosmina) and we'll plan a way forward for the club which is best for the club."

Veart said Adelaide's recent form was "the way ahead" and emphasised the Reds would continue to back young players.

"We're always going to look first at South Australian players but we want the best young players in the country and we're prepared to play the young players," he said.

"A lot of the clubs aren't prepared to give their young players an opportunity and our club is ... so if you want to play, our club is the place to be."

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