Adelaide United will be hoping to keep their title hopes alive when they host Wellington Phoenix at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday.

The hosts are just six points behind the current A-League leaders, but a victory for the visitors would lead to them going level with their opponents.

Match preview

Adelaide United were at their very best once again last weekend when they picked up another victory by defeating Newcastle Jets, and they did so once again with great attacking quality.

For the second match in a row, the Reds managed to score four goals in one game with every single one being scored by a different player to highlight the quality in the entire team.

The win last week extended their current undefeated run to nine games, in what has proven to be a dominant and impressive 2023 from the squad.

The consistent performances as of late have helped Adelaide United put themselves in genuine contention to win the league, as they sit just six points behind Melbourne City.

However, with only six games remaining the pressure will certainly be on the team to continue picking up results as they look to continue putting the pressure on the league leaders.

Adelaide United will be well aware of the fact that there are several teams directly behind them right now, though, and Wellington Phoenix just so happens to be one of them.

A victory for the visitors would put them level on points with the Reds, showcasing just how tight things are at the top of the A-League heading toward the climax of the campaign.

The visitors have put together a four-game unbeaten run heading into this match, with their latest victory against Sydney FC.

Oskar Zawada was once again on the scoresheet, which was the only goal of the game that highlighted Wellington Phoenix's ability to compete in close contests.

That is what they will have to do once again this weekend considering the fact that Adelaide United have only lost a single match at home this season.

Team News

Adelaide United quintet Harry Van der Saag, George Blackwood, Josh Cavallo, Juande and Steven Hall all remain sidelined with long-term problems, making their recent performances even more impressive.

Luka Jovanovic is someone who will be pushing to get himself more minutes this time around after he scored his first goal for the club last weekend, but that could be given to him from the bench.

Zawada is the main attacking threat for the visitors heading into this match, and he will find himself keeping his place in the starting lineup.

The visitors will be without Clayton Lewis due to a knee problem, while Sam Sutton is also on the sidelines with a hamstring issue at the moment.

Adelaide United possible starting lineup:
Gauci; Lopez, Barr, Popovic, Kitto; D'Arrigo, Alagich; Halloran, Clough, Goodwin; Ibusuki

Wellington Phoenix possible starting lineup:
Sail; Elliot, Wootton, Laws, Sutton; Sasse, Rufer, Ugarkovic, Old; Ball, Zawada

We say: Adelaide United 3-0 Wellington Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix will certainly head to Hindmarsh Stadium with plenty of confidence behind themselves and they will provide a stern test on Friday.

However, the consistent results and strong attacking play that Adelaide United have displayed as of late should see them come out on top here to keep their title hunt alive.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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