Minor premiers the Perth Glory will put their season on the line as they take on Adelaide United in the first semi-final. This is The Roar’s guide to streaming the match online, and watching it on TV, so you won’t miss a moment of the action. Kick-off in this winner-takes-all contest with a spot in the 2018-19 A-League grand final at stake is scheduled for 8:30pm (AEDT) – 6:30pm (local) on Friday, May 10 at NIB Stadium in Perth. Adelaide qualified for the second week of finals with a stunning extra-time victory last weekend over the Melbourne Victory, as Ben Halloran scored a 119th minute goal to ensure their path through to the second weekend of knockout football. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share Perth, meanwhile, enjoyed a week off after storming to the minor premiership, and are heavy favourites to keep their run going to the big dance. How to watch the first A-League semi-final on TV All of the A-League’s semi-finals are available on both pay TV and free to air TV for Australian audiences. The best option will be to tune in through host broadcaster Fox Sports, who have also had the rights to every single match throughout the A-League season. Their coverage of the first semi-final will begin at 7:30pm (AEDT) on Channel 505. To watch the Fox Sports coverage, you will need to be holding a valid Foxtel TV subscription. Advertisement Advertisement You can also tune in through Network Ten’s secondary channel, 10Bold, which can be found on Channel 11. How to live stream the first A-League semi-final online If you are looking to stream this A-League semi-final online, then the best way to do so will be to use the Foxtel coverage. Kayo Sports have the rights to all of Foxtel’s sports channels, as well as other selected events for $25 per month, and are currently the best option to watch the A-League online. If you would prefer to stream the rest of Foxtel’s channels, however, then you could sign up with Foxtel Now, however, you will need to ensure you have the sports package. For those already with a TV subscription to Foxtel that includes the sports pack, you should look to use the Foxtel App, as it’s free with a valid username and password. Otherwise, you could also tune in through TenPlay, or the MyFootballApp, which is available on both the Google Play, and Apple App stores. Here at The Roar, you can also tune into all the action with our live blog of the action, and highlights throughout the course of the match. Advertisement Advertisement Key game information: Perth Glory vs Adelaide United A-League semi-final Kick-off: 8:30pm (AEDT) – 6:30pm (local) Venue: NIB Stadium, Perth TV: Live, Fox Sports, 10 Bold Online: Live, Foxtel App, Foxtel Now, Kayo Sports, TenPlay, My Football App Betting: Glory $1.55, United $3.05 Referee: Alex King Squads Perth Glory 1. Tando Velaphi (Gk), 3. Jason Davidson, 4. Shane Lowry, 5. Ivan Franjic, 6. Dino Djulbic, 7. Joel Chianese, 9. Andy Keogh, 11. Brendon Santalab, 13. Matthew Spiranovic, 16. Tomislav Mrcela, 17. Diego Castro, 19. Chris Ikonomidis, 20. Jake Brimmer, 22. Fabio Ferreira, 23. Scott Neville, 27. Juande, 33. Liam Reddy (Gk), 88. Neil Kilkenny Adelaide United 1. Daniel Marguš (Gk), 2. Michael Marrone, 3. Scott Galloway, 6. Vince Lia, 7. Ryan Kitto, 8. Isaías Sánchez (C), 9. Baba Diawara, 11. Craig Goodwin, 14. George Blackwood, 16. Nathan Konstandopoulos, 17. Nikola Mileusnić, 20. Paul Izzo (Gk), 22. Michael Jakobsen, 23. Jordan Elsey, 26. Ben Halloran, 31. Mirko Boland, 32. Carlo Armiento, 33. Apostolos<doc-sep>Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic hopes a heaving home crowd will help his team get over the line in Friday night’s semi-final clash with Adelaide. Glory were awarded a bye in the first week of the A-League finals after finishing on top of the ladder. Popovic made the most of the occasion to fly to Adelaide, where he watched United beat Melbourne City 1-0 in an extra-time thriller. The veteran coach was impressed by the atmosphere Adelaide’s fans created at Coopers Stadium, and he’s hoping Glory fans can do the same at HBF Park. “Adelaide had their reward last week by playing at home, and their home fans really helped them across the line,” Popovic said. “It was a great atmosphere, great night. “Now we get the same opportunity to have a huge crowd, and hopefully as happened for Adelaide, they can be that extra man so to speak that can help us get over the line.” Glory received a huge boost on Thursday when star midfielder Neil Kilkenny was given the green light to play. Kilkenny injured his ankle at training last Saturday, but scans cleared him of major damage. Camera Icon Glory is banking on some big home support tonight. Credit: Getty Images Glory will start as hot favourites against Adelaide, who have had just five days break between games. Adelaide failed to score a single goal against Glory in their three regular- season match-ups. Glory twice won 2-0 at Coopers Stadium, with the only match in Perth ending in a 0-0 stalemate. Popovic said those past results wouldn’t mean much come Friday night. “We haven’t spoken about that, and we don’t plan to either,” Popovic said. “It’s a one-off game now. We worked on our game before we knew who the opponent was. Now we’ve gone into a bit more detail knowing it’s Adelaide. “We are just looking at ways to defend well against them, and how we can impose our game on them.”<doc-sep>Tony Popovic The shrewd coach has a clear vision about what he wants and how to get it. He is obsessive about detail and plans each game meticulously. He has breathed new life into Perth Glory, building it in his own image. They are now a structured and dogged outfit that bear his trademarks of an iron will and a a ruthless streak. Camera Icon The saviour. Credit: Getty Images Fitness Outlasting teams has been key to this Glory campaign with superior fitness under Popovic’s demanding training regime. It is on the training ground and in the gym where he laid the foundations for the Glory transformation. Players are fitter, faster and more disciplined. Their stamina has been outstanding. They have won a number of games at the death, scored 15 of their 56 goals in the last 15 minutes of matches. Defence and game plan Popovic has always based his plans on defence and his ethos passed the test this season with flying colours. Before Popovic’s arrival Glory leaked 53 goals in each of their last two seasons. This year an imposing backline had the tightest defence in the A-League letting in just 23 goals with 12 clean sheets. Glory now control from the back, dominate the midfield and produce plenty of goal scoring opportunities. Pressure Pressure, what pressure? It’s business as usual for Glory who have dismissed the weight of expectation that comes with being newly-crowned premiers. The sudden death finals series is not a problem, it’s something to be enjoyed say players - such is their confidence. In his first public appearance Popovic insisted there were no limits on what could achieved. “We don’t want hope any more. We want to be the club where there is an expectation,” he said. “How far we can go? I don’t want to put any limits on the squad. The sky’s the limit. Let’s see how far we can go.” Pressure, what pressure? Camera Icon Chris Ikonomidis was an inspired signing. Credit: Getty Images Squad depth The words recruitment and Popovic go hand-in-glove for Glory. His reputation lured players that have turned the club around in one season. He replaced a third of the squad. Players like Matt Spiranovic, Chris Ikonomidis, Jason Davidson and Ivan Franjic all moving to Perth because of the man in charge. He balanced his squad around players like midfield general Neil Kilkenny and Spanish marquee Diego Castro and a menacing attack led by Andy Keogh.<doc-sep>Bill Clinton was in the White House, Alanis Morissette was being all Ironic and football was preparing to “come home” as England prepared to host the European Championships. May, 1996 was a tumultuous time in Australia too - Prime Minister John Howard announced new gun control measures in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre. In the great scheme of things then, a 1-0 win by Adelaide City away to UTS Olympic in the NSL Finals (thanks to Dino Mennillo’s 70th minute strike) at Leichhardt Oval, probably barely caused a ripple. Yet twenty three years on, that win remains the last time a team from the City of Churches won a finals match on the road. Live Stream the 2019 Hyundai A-League Finals on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of the finals live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial > SLATER: WHY IT’S ADVANTAGE VICTORY IN BIG BLUE BLOCKBUSTER ‘WHY NOT?’ BAYERN MEGASTAR WON’T RULE OUT STUNNING A-LEAGUE MOVE Actually, that may not be strictly true. The sticking point is the 2002/03 season in the NSL. At the end of that regular season, the top six broke away to play a “Championship Series” - a home and away type affair which involved 10 extra matches for the sextet, which included Adelaide City. City duly won a couple of their road trips - against Newcastle United and Northern Spirit - but as they weren’t “sudden-death” type scenarios, it’s a moot point as to whether they were “finals” games in the truest sense of the word. Whether you accept that anomaly as being outside the “finals” concept or not, it’s still fairly clear that teams from South Australia have suffered some pretty acute travel sickness since that 12th day of May, 1996. In fact, if we do exclude the 2002/03 season, then Adelaide City and its national league successor, Adelaide United, have lost a whopping SIXTEEN consecutive away games in finals matches. The tale of woe started in Adelaide City’s very next away encounter, where they were thumped 4-1 by Marconi in the Preliminary Final of that 1995/96 campaign. Twelve months later, they were back at Marconi Stadium, and suffered a similar fate in the Elimination Final, losing 3-0, before recovering in the return leg to progress through to a Minor Semi Final against South Melbourne. No matter - the away leg was duly lost 1-0. City played three more away finals before dropping out of the NSL - losing 3-0 to Wollongong Wolves (97/98), 2-1 to Perth Glory (98/99) and 4-1 to Sydney Olympic at Belmore in 1999/2000. The change of representative didn’t change their fortunes. Adelaide United made the NSL finals in their very first season (2003/04), but lost both away matches heavily - 4-1 to Brisbane Strikers, and 5-0 to Perth. The A-League era has brought three Grand Finals, but still no win on the road for the Reds - although in fairness, Adelaide was unfortunate to run into the Melbourne Victory juggernaut in the early years of the competition, and suffered accordingly. There have been some close calls along the way - last season for example, the Reds took the lead through Nikola Mileusnic, as they sought to end their Victory curse, only for Leroy George to equalise, and Besart Berisha score the most spectacular of winners in the 90th minute. Besart Berisha celebrates his winning goal in last season’s elimination final. Source: AAP Similarly, James Robinson’s stoppage time winner in 2007 denied the Reds a draw that would have ensured a Grand Final appearance (thanks to away goals) in the second leg of the Major Semi Final. The Reds lost 2-1, but went through anyway, after defeating Newcastle on penalties in the Preliminary Final. It did them no good, Archie Thompson ran riot as Victory won the big dance 6-0 — still a record finals score. Thankfully for Reds fans, their home finals form has been good in recent years - the extra time win over Melbourne City was Adelaide’s fourth in a row on home turf. The bad news is that tonight’s semi-final is in Perth. Can the Reds break one of the longest losing streaks in Australian football? If they do, Dino Mennillo - who now does wonderful work as an Occupational Therapist for children - might just raise a glass, and offer thanks that his goal no longer represents the starting point of the most unwanted statistic in the annals of the game in South Australia. Former Adelaide City player Dino Mennillo. Source: News Limited ADELAIDE’S AWAY FINALS LOSING STREAK Adelaide United's away finals losing streak. Source: Supplied Watch the Perth Glory vs Adelaide semi-final live on Fox Sports tonight — kick-off at 8.30pm AEST.<doc-sep>
A-League grand final spots are up for grabs this weekend, starting when Premiers Perth Glory’s clash with Adelaide United at HBF Park on Friday night. How have they fared against each other this season? Who will be there from the first whistle? And how does each side guarantee a spot in the big dance next week? Live stream the 2019 Hyundai A-League on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial > Dominant: that’s exactly what Perth Glory have been this season. The eventual Premiers led the competition from round four and truthfully, never looked like ceding their position atop of the A-League ladder. Now, fresh from a weekend without competitive football, Perth are, quite rightly, huge favourites to go on and complete an historic double, starting on Friday night. Perth Glory are heavy favourites to beat Adelaide United Source: Getty Images Meanwhile, their semi final opponents, Adelaide United, travel to HBF Park as the undeniable underdogs. Not only did they struggle against Perth throughout the regular season, they’re also making the trip west after an exhaustive albeit prosperous extra time elimination final against Melbourne City on Sunday. Despite the rapid turnaround, departing Reds coach Marco Kurz has talked the talk in the build up, insisting this week won’t be the last of his two-season tenure. “My goal is to have another training session next week and maybe another press conference,” Kurz told AAP on Thursday. PREVIOUS MEETINGS THIS SEASON Look away now, Adelaide United fans. Over their three regular season meetings, the Reds weren’t able to beat the Glory, losing in rounds four and 22, while managing a scoreless draw in round 15. The small glimmer of hope? That draw was at the venue this match will be played at: HBF Park. What makes for even bleaker reading, however, is that Adelaide are yet to score past Liam Reddy this season, making them the only team - including the hapless Central Coast Mariners - not to have registered against the Premiers. Adelaide celebrate their 118th minute winner in last week’s elimination final Source: Getty Images EXPECTED LINE UPS Perth Glory Having a week off should have eliminated any selection concerns for Popovic, but midfield mainstay Neil Kilkenny is at least a doubt after sustaining an ankle injury in training on Saturday. That being said, major figures at the club are confident Kilkenny will be available come Friday. Expect Perth to line up in their tried, tested and at this point, almost perfected 3-4-3 against Adelaide. Shane Lowry returns at the back while the creative qualities of Diego Castro and Chris Ikonomidis will service the prolific Andy Keogh up front. Potential XI: Reddy; Lowry, Spiranovic, Djulbic; Franjic, Kilkenny, Juande, Davidson; Castro ©, Ikonomidis, Keogh. Adelaide United Much to the delight of Kurz and his coaching staff, Adelaide’s playing group escaped Sunday evening’s marathon match unscathed so far as injuries are concerned. It is just Danish playmaker Ken Ilso who remains ineligible due to a drug ban. Expect the German coach to select a similar, if not unchanged, starting team to that which won at Coopers five days ago. Potential XI (4-2-3-1): Izzo; Galloway, Jakobsen, Marrone, Kitto; Boland, Isaias ©; Goodwin, Blackwood, Mileusnic; Halloran. Alex Tobin Medal winner Diego Castro will be a key player for Perth Glory Source: Getty Images HOW PERTH GLORY WIN IT? Essentially, by continuing to do what they’ve done so well this season. The likes of former Socceroos Jason Davidson and Ivan Franjic will need to stretch Adelaide in wide areas, while the perpetual motion of Keogh should have a similar effect up front. From here, Perth’s strengths lay in finding Castro and Ikonomidis in pockets of space either side of, and in behind Adelaide’s defensive midfield duo of Isaias and Mirko Boland. Although they’re likely to dominate possession, their organisation and ability to remain composed in a low-block will also be critical if they’re to keep their impressive clean sheet record intact against the Reds. HOW ADELAIDE UNITED WIN IT? Yet to lay a glove on the Premiers this season, Kurz and co. need to change things up for this must-win match. At times criticised for languid, drawn-out phases of possession, Adelaide will no doubt create more chances against Perth by attempting to exploit fleeting moments in the match where Glory’s back three are exposed by their marauding wingbacks.