Adelaide United Backed to Beat South Melbourne in Australia Cup

The final two ties of the Australia Cup first round will be played on Thursday afternoon, with A-League side Adelaide United taking on NPL club South Melbourne. Adelaide United are one of the most storied teams in Australia Cup history, and their overall strength is clearly above that of this opponent, so they are strongly fancied to win and advance.

South Melbourne's limitations at NPL level require little explanation. Even so, they have avoided a first-round exit in each of the past two Australia Cups and have given supporters a few pleasant surprises. However, last year they ran into A-League opposition in Auckland FC in the second round and were beaten 3-0. The year before, they upset Wellington Phoenix 1-0 in the first round before eventually losing to Macarthur FC in the semi-finals, falling short of a dream run. That suggests South Melbourne struggle to cope when facing A-League teams with solid competitiveness. It is also worth noting that 8 of the 10 A-League clubs entering this year's first round have already played, and 3 of them were knocked out by NPL opposition, so Adelaide United are unlikely to take South Melbourne lightly.

Adelaide United finished second in last season's A-League regular season, so their quality is beyond doubt. In the Australia Cup, their record is especially impressive: their 3 titles are the most in the competition's history, and their 4 final appearances are level with Sydney FC for the most. Looking at the past five first-round campaigns, aside from last year's defeat to fellow A-League side Newcastle Jets, they progressed every time from 2021 to 2024, which underlines their confidence in this competition.

One more player to watch is fan favourite Craig Goodwin. He has scored 6 goals in 6 Australia Cup appearances during his career and captained Adelaide United to the title in 2018. The attacker still produced 3 goals and 4 assists in 16 A-League appearances last season, showing he remains a major threat, and he will be expected to help lead Adelaide United into the next round.