Neumann to join Reds' Asian campaign

From the original squads that each of the remaining eight clubs in the ACL submitted for the knockout stage in August, clubs are permitted to replace and change up to three players on the original roster prior to a deadline of seven days before the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Coach John Kosmina has decided to bring in Neumann to join Sergio Van Dijk and Cassio as the Reds’ three imports, meaning Carrusca comes out of the squad.

Admitting it was an extremely tough decision to make due to the fact that clubs are only permitted a maximum of three foreigners for the competition, Kosmina chose to go with Neumann over Carrusca due to the former having already played a number of games and spent a number of weeks in training, while the latter has been restricted due to a calf injury.

“At this particular stage of his rehabilitation, Marcelo is still at risk of re-injury, so as a consequence we’ve swapped him over with Jeronimo for the visa spot,” Kosmina said.

“Jeromino has had some match condition and is not as much of a risk.”

Despite becoming an Australian citizen last Friday, Cassio does not qualify as an Australian player due to AFC regulations regarding naturalised players.

The Reds take on Uzbekistan's Bunyodkor in the first leg of the quarter-finals at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday 19 September.