ALM PREVIEW: City v Adelaide

After a weekend off thanks to a bye, Melbourne City is back in action, hitting the road for a challenging away fixture against second-placed Adelaide United.

With a crucial three points on the line, City will be eager to turn things around after a couple of frustrating results on the road.

Freshened up and ready to go

City kicked off 2025 in strong form, securing three wins in just 10 days at home.

However, the momentum slowed with back-to-back away defeats to Auckland and Macarthur in our most recent fixtures.

Last weekend’s bye arrived at the perfect time, offering the squad a chance to reset and refocus ahead of the second half of the season. Now re-energised, City is primed for a big response on Friday night.

Reinforcements arriving

The week off also provided valuable time for our returning players to continue to build their fitness.

Mathew Leckie and Marco Tilio, who returned in the weeks leading up to the bye, have continued to increase their loads.

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Leckie could be in line for his first start of the season after two substitute appearances, while Tilio is set for an extended cameo off the bench.

Adding further firepower, young striker Max Caputo has made the trip to Adelaide and is likely to make his first appearance of the season.

With key attacking reinforcements back in the squad, City is not only stronger for Friday’s clash but well-positioned for the remainder of the season.

Ending the hoodoo

City fans will be all too familiar with the challenge of playing away in Adelaide, with our last win at Coopers Stadium coming back in December 2018—nine away trips ago.

Determined to put an end to that streak, City will be pushing for a crucial victory in what could be a season-defining match.

It’s now been over a year since we last faced Adelaide at all regardless of the venue, with Terry Antonis’ early goal securing a win for us at AAMI Park in January 2024.