Adelaide United are ready for a fight.
By Felicity Reid of RNZ
The South Australians have never beaten Auckland FC in four previous A-League regular-season games across two seasons.
The last time the two sides met in Adelaide a month ago, the score was 1-1, the third time a match between the two had ended in a stalemate.
Last November marked the only win in their head-to-head, when Auckland were 2-1 victors.
On Saturday, Auckland hosts game one of the two-legged semi-final and the visitors are expecting Auckland to "bring fight, intensity and physicality", according to midfielder Ethan Alagich.
"They're a strong team, and they'll use that," he said. "We're going to be ready for the fight and we'll give it back, whatever they give us."
Fellow midfielder Ryan White said Auckland was "physical all across the pitch".
"We'll be ready," he said, "I guarantee it."
Auckland FC coach Steve Corica was not concerned with Adelaide's fighting words.
"I've seen a couple of media reports from them that they're not scared of anyone," Corica said. "Nor are we.
"Finals football is different. They've got a good squad, good young players as well, but it's how they handle the pressure, how we handle the pressure as well, of a semi-final.
"We don't have to win it in the first game. We did last season, but we didn't finish on it in the second game.
"It's more about more consistency, taking our moments when they come, not allowing them a lot of opportunities to score goals.
"If we do that better than them, I think we'll be in the final."
After the disappointment of elimination in the semifinals last season, Corica believed Auckland could reach the grand final this season.
"We definitely can do it. We've got the quality, we've got the fight, they're hungry.
"You need a little bit of luck along the way, for sure.
"Everything in the middle of the field, other than the two 18-yard boxes, sometimes means nothing. It's what you do at both ends."
Corica said they had learnt from last season's semifinals, where he believed the team "switched off a little bit over a five-minute period", which he thought was the cause of them losing on aggregate goals.
He said "staying focused" would be crucial across the two legs of the semi-final against United.
The only loss Auckland has had to Adelaide this season was on the competition ladder. Auckland's winless last five rounds of the regular season compared to Adelaide's 10-game unbeaten run and meant Adelaide took second place on the table off Auckland, who dropped to third.
Adelaide's regular season finish gave the team a week off, while Auckland played in the elimination final and also gave them the right to choose the order of the home-and- away semifinals.
"It's probably done us a favour," Corica said. "I don't mind playing at home first.
"I think it works in our favour, I think we're quite gritty away from home as well.
"We've had really good results away from home this season as well, probably better than our home form, but we want to get the job done at home first and then we have to dig out a result in Adelaide.
"It's always a good atmosphere down there. It's a great stadium.
"It's going to be exciting, I think, especially playing the second game away."
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