Not sure this is as easy a task for Sydney as the Betting Agencies suggest.
There is little doubt that Adelaide will be pumped up by their new (returning) coach John Kosmina.
He has attempted to instil a "Warrior" attitude in the players at training this week and according to him the team has responded. So much so that Kosmina has reminded them that it can't just be a one off. It has to be the attitude on display all of the time.
And so often a new coach can work absolute wonders from the off with a struggling outfit. It is almost a given in other leagues around the world. It is actually quite rare to not see a team respond in a positive manner given similar circumstance.
Add to this the fact that Adelaide have beaten Sydney the last 2 times they have travelled there, and honours are just about even between the two since the inception of the A-League (22 games).
There is also a tendency for Sydney to struggle a little of late against teams that are below them on the ladder. They conceded first against Newcastle in their last match but turned that game around in the second half to win 2-1. But they could only draw against Gold Coast and lost to Wellington albeit both away from home. Sandwiched in between those 2 encounters was the history breaking win against the then dominant Brisbane Roar where they certainly rose to the occasion.
It wasn't at the Sydney Football Stadium though and they have lost 2 of their 3 home encounters this season at their home venue.
Nick Carle also has to sit this one out with injury, another possible negative. He is their highest scorer and has been influential in a few games for them this year, particularly late in the piece.
Adelaide have been absolutely woeful from a defensive viewpoint this season and that is what has to improve markedly. A negative 13 goal difference tells you all you need to know really. They haven't scored enough goals either but that should rectify itself when Dario Vidosic and Sergio Van Dyke get a bit more game time under their belt.
Structurally of late they have been 'all over the place' and at least 2 players have been playing out of position for them (Djite & Ramsay) which probably doesn't help the issue of team harmony.
Their last 2 away games have yielded 2 draws against Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory respectively so if they can repeat either of those efforts they will be more than competitive in this match. Of late they are performing much better away from Hindmarsh. No goals scored and 7 conceded in their last 3 games at home possibly tells you that negative press at home has been affecting team morale.The last time these 2 teams met at Hindmarsh in October the result went to Sydney but it was a narrow 2-1 victory with Adelaide scoring first and Sydney scoring the winner in the 82nd minute (Carle).
To me this his game shows signs of being a tight encounter again and whilst I've dwelt on the negatives for Sydney and the positives for Adelaide it is a bit hard to see Adelaide turning things around quickly enough to get a win on the board. Possible, but unlikely.
I'm suggesting a draw is well and truly on the cards though.The $3.70 about that might be worth an investment.
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