Western United goes interstate for the first time this Isuzu UTE A-League Men season, travelling to face Adelaide United on Saturday night. Read our Match Preview, presented by Red Bull Australia.
Match Details
2024/25 Isuzu UTE A-League Men Round 4
Adelaide United vs Western United
Saturday, 9 November
Kick-off: 7:35pm AEDT (7:05pm local time)
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on 10 Bold and on Paramount+
Western United Team News
John Aloisi has received a significant boost ahead of the trip to Adelaide with the return of captain Ben Garuccio to the extended squad.
The left-back has missed each of United’s first three matches so far this season with a groin injury but has returned to contention in time to face his hometown club.
Abel Walatee impressed off the bench last week and will be hoping to earn a start, as will Noah Botic and Sebastian Pasquali.
Western United squad: 1. Tom HEWARD-BELLE (gk), 5. Oliver LAVALE, 6. Tomoki IMAI, 9. Hiroshi IBUSUKI, 10. Matthew GRIMALDI, 13. Tate RUSSELL, 14. Jake NAJDOVSKI, 17. Ben GARUCCIO, 19. Noah BOTIC, 20. Abel WALATEE, 21. Sebastian PASQUALI, 22. Kane VIDMAR, 23. Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 29. Charbel SHAMOON, 30. Dylan LEONARD, 32. Angus THURGATE, 33. Matthew SUTTON (gk), 34. James YORK, 37. Luke VICKERY, 77. Riku DANZAKI
Previous Meetings
Adelaide have proven one of Western’s most difficult opponents in the past but there have been two sensational wins at Coopers Stadium amongst the 12 previous meetings.
The first of those came back in March 2020, the first time the Green and Black ever crossed the border, with a scintillating display on that afternoon securing a 5-1 win.
April 2023 brought the next win in Adelaide when Connor Pain found the net in a 1-0 victory. Pain actually had quite a habit of scoring against the Reds, doing so in three of his four seasons in Green and Black.
Key Matchup: Dylan Leonard vs Luka Jovanovic
All eyes will be on two of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s brightest young talents at Coopers Stadium as Dylan Leonard goes head-to-head with Adelaide’s Luka Jovanovic.
Leonard has arguably been United’s standout player through the first three weeks of the season, remarkable for someone who only turned 17 at the end of August.
His composure on the ball matched with outstanding strength in duels and intelligence in reading the play at the back has made him a seamless fit into United’s back four.
On Saturday night, Leonard will come up against a fellow teenager in Jovanovic who has made an outstanding start to the season for the Reds, starting and scoring in their first two games of the campaign.
An intriguing battle awaits at Coopers Stadium as the spotlight shines on two emerging stars, and Leonard will be hoping to get the better of the duel and help the Green and Black take three points back to Tarneit.
Western United Player to Watch: Abel Walatee
Immediately after coming off the bench against Melbourne City on Monday night, Walatee had the fans on their feet with his athleticism and skill on the ball.
The 20-year-old ran at City’s defence every time he got possession and tried to create something for his teammates in search of an equaliser.
Coming off the bench in all three matches so far this season, the youngster has repeatedly shown that explosiveness on the pitch.
Following the City match, Aloisi had high praise for his talented young star and encouraged him to search for more consistency in future weeks.
Whether it be from the start or from the bench, Walatee will undoubtedly look to bring the excitement if he takes to the field against Adelaide and is always one to watch.
