Sydney FC to be without in-form Polish attacker Patryk Klimala for clash against Adelaide United

Sydney FC’s task of avoiding a third successive defeat has been made tougher by the loss of an in-form striker for Friday night’s battle with Adelaide United.

Adelaide United has the chance to pounce on a vulnerable Sydney FC on Friday night, with the Sky Blues having lost key striker Patryk Klimala.

The Polish marksman, who has scored seven goals in 12 appearances in all competitions since joining Sydney in September on loan frorn Slask Wrocław, has been ruled out of the Coopers Stadium clash with a groin strain.

There was some doubt whether Klimala would have played even if he had been fully fit, with his wife having given birth to the couple’s second child on Wednesday.

“He’ll be staying back in Sydney, and then hopefully we have him available for the Victory game (on December 28),” said Sydney coach Ufuk Talay, who flagged Patrick Wood and Jaiden Kucharski as potential replacements for Klimala.

“Obviously they haven’t had a lot of minutes, but I still believe they’re capable of producing a certain level of performance.”

Sydney FC striker Patryk Klimala won’t play against Adelaide United on Friday night. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

However, Klimala’s absence looms as a significant blow for a Sydney side desperate to avoid a third successive defeat.

Touted as A-League title favourites at the start of the season, the Sky Blues have dropped to seventh on the ladder and are 10 points behind leaders Auckland FC.

“We’ve got a good group of players, a good group of men that like to see what we are doing well and what we definitely need to improve on,” Talay said.

“There are players that haven’t reached a level that they can perform at.”

Despite Sydney’s patchy form, the Sky Blues still loom as unbeaten Adelaide’s toughest test of the season to date.

The Reds are second on the lader, only two points adrift of Auckland, however their five wins have come against teams in the bottom half of the table, and they could only manage a 2-2 home draw against cellar dwellers Perth Glory.

Adelaide coach Carl Veart admitted Sydney would present his side with a “different challenge”.

“Sydney will be one of the few other teams in the league that really play a high-pressing game,” Veart said.

“A lot of the teams that we’ve played so far have sat off a little bit.

“We know they’re very aggressive with their pressing, they’re very good in transition, so that’s something we have to be very mindful of.

“We know that we’re going to be under pressure because of the way that they play.

“It’s going to be exciting to see how we adapt to it.”

Adelaide United coach Carl Veart expects a ‘different challenge’ from Sydney FC. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Sydney’s threats include Brazilian winger Douglas Costa, whose season has been hampered by a hamstring problem.

“Patience is key, but expectation is always going to be there on that type of player,” Talay said.

“He’s building slowly. We’ve got him minutes in certain games and we’re still trying to make sure we build him up where we don’t break him.”

Veart was wary of the damage Costa could cause on Friday night.

“He’s been very impressive. You can see his quality,” Veart said of the former Juventus and Bayern Munich star.