Adelaide defender Osama Malik says the Reds haven’t given up hope of making the A-League finals but admits they must be more ruthless in their remaining five games to be any chance.
Adelaide travel to Newcastle to face the Jets on Friday night with the hosts keen to jump back into the winner’s circle after falling 2-0 to Perth.
Adelaide are second last on the ladder but only five points from the seventh-placed Jets who are just a couple of points from the coveted top six.
The Reds come into the game after an unlucky 2-1 loss to Sydney where they dominated the match but squandered several outstanding chances and were denied by a brilliant goalkeeping performance from Ivan Necevski.
“We’ve had some rough results lately but we’re still very confident that we can get a winning run going again and start a bit of a roll on,” Malik said.
“Performances like that one against Sydney have been the story of our last month and a half. We seem to play well but when it comes to dominating sides we let ourselves down a bit and let the other team back in, we need to be more ruthless.
“We know we have to close Newcastle down and then make the most of our opportunities when we get them.
“It’s all about staying positive, we’ve got 15 points available for the rest of the year, and we have start with three points at Newcastle. If we keep working hard the luck will eventually come our way, hopefully that starts in this game.”
The loss to Sydney came shortly after Adelaide defeated Indonesian club Persipura 3-0 in an AFC Champions League qualifier.
Newcastle can be lethal on their day and prior to their loss against Perth they scored eight goals in two games in wins over Sydney and Melbourne Heart.
“They’re a very good passing team who keep the ball well, you have to be patient against them, they’re a very well coached team,” he said.
Olyroos player Ben Kantarovski has been named in the Newcastle side but the Jets will be without Jobe Wheelhouse will miss the game with a groin injury.
The sides have met twice this season with both games drawn.