Pantelis ready for 'grand final'

With seven games remaining and five points adrift of a place in the top six, time is running out for Adelaide to rescue their season and play a part in the A-League finals series.

As the season heads towards its pointy end, Pantelis knows United must be at their best to take three points against the Gold Coast at Skilled Park. The midfielder says the team is approaching the encounter as a grand final, as they know another loss would almost mean curtains to United’s finals ambitions.

“In terms of the position where we’re sitting at the moment, it’s absolutely vital, it’s probably our grand final already…so I can’t express how big this game is,” Pantelis stated.

Up against a Gold Coast side that has won its past five matches at home, including a 5-1 hammering of neighbours Brisbane Roar on Boxing Day, The Reds will need to take its ‘do-or-die’ mentality into the game, and Pantelis knows the magnitude of the challenge confronting them.

“We’re looking forward to getting out there and taking it up to them,” Pantelis said of the Gold Coast, who have scored more goals than any other club to this point of the season.

“We know it’s going to be difficult, Gold Coast are a quality side, but at the end of the day we can just give it our best shot and hopefully we can come away with the three points.”

While Gold Coast United have not had a problem finding the back of the net this season, it has been somewhat of a different story for Adelaide, who have only 16 goals to show for their efforts so far.

Pantelis knows the goals must start flowing if Adelaide United is to lift itself from the foot of the table, and he says the solution remains the same as it has been throughout.

“We just need to break those shackles. Once we score one or two goals, it will just keep on flowing, so it’s a matter of getting that confidence up and we should be right,” Pantelis said.

“One thing we do not lack is the bond we have as a group. We stick tight together and if we can keep doing that for the rest of the season, hopefully we can be in good stead come finals.”

The Reds’ match against Gold Coast United on Saturday night kicks off at 8pm AEDT.