Adelaide United coach Carl Veart says Reds will need to be at their ‘best’ to beat Sydney FC

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart believes Sydney FC will find form under new coach Ufuk Talay but would prefer the revival didn’t start this weekend.

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart is wary of A-League cellar dwellers Sydney FC. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart predicts that Sydney FC will rediscover its mojo under new mentor Ufuk Talay but remains confident the Reds will extend the Sky Blues’ losing run to four matches on Saturday night.

Talay faces a baptism of fire at Adelaide’s Coopers Stadium fortress just three days after being announced as the replacement for sacked coach Steve Corica, Veart’s former Socceroos teammate.

While the unbeaten Reds will start as favourites, Veart is wary of Sydney, particularly with the trend of out-of-form teams winning the game after a coach has been sacked.

“They’re a very good side,” Veart said of the five-time A-League champions, who since winning last month’s Australia Cup final have begun their league campaign with a hat-trick of losses and no goals.

“They haven’t started the league that well, but they had a very good pre-season. It won’t take much for them to get back to their winning ways, so it’s important for us that we stick to our processes and perform to our best.

“The boys are playing exceptionally well at the moment and we’re looking forward to getting another three points (on Saturday).”

Ufuk Talay’s first game in charge of Sydney FC is against Adelaide United this weekend. Picture: Tony Feder/Getty Images

Talay isn’t expecting to solve all of Sydney’s issues in two training sessions, but he will at the very least demand an improved effort from the Sky Blues this weekend.

“I’d be naive to come in and say that we’re going to scrap in two days everything that’s been done previously,” the former Wellington Phoenix coach said.

“For me what I look at is how can we improve what’s been done previously and how can we get the best out of the players?

“We’re only three rounds in, so I’ve got a bit of time.”

Perhaps aiding Talay’s cause this weekend will be the absence of Adelaide’s teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda, who is suspended after being sent off in the Reds’ 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory last Friday night when he copped his second yellow card for dissent.

“He’s still learning the game and there’s a lot for him to learn, not just what happens on the pitch but what happens off the pitch as well,” Veart said of the 17-year-oild attacker who is tipped to join German giants Bayern Munich next season.

“In a way, it could be a blessing for him to have that little bit of a rest anyway.

“He was getting close to having a rest, and it’s just been more forced than us giving him a rest.”

Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne will have a point to prove after being dropped from Australia’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh and Palestine.

Replacing him as one of the three keepers in the squad was Adelaide gloveman Joe Gauci.

“Joe has been working exceptionally hard over the last couple of years, and everyone has seen his qualities in the first three games,” Veart said.

Originally published as Adelaide United coach Carl Veart says Reds will need to be at their ‘best’ to beat Sydney FC