Preview: Wests APIA v Adelaide City
Round Five of the 2026 Australian Championship sees Adelaide City travel to Sydney to face Wests APIA in what will be its third straight away game.
Adelaide City’s late loss to Avondale the previous week made it mathematically impossible for the Black and White to advance to the 2026 Australian Championship Quarter-Finals, leaving coach Vas Parhas disappointed despite his side’s strong performance for the majority of the game.
“We're bitterly disappointed. We were in a really good position in the game and, unfortunately, we let it slip,” Parhas commented on the Avondale match.
“I can't fault the effort of the entire club and the entire group; the boys left nothing out there. Across those two games against Avondale, we deserved much more than a point.”
Despite falling short of the next stage of the competition, Parhas feels the experience has been beneficial for his club and can serve as a strong building block for the future.
“For our first hit-out as a club at this level, I think we can absolutely hold our heads up high. We've demonstrated that we're very close to that level, which I think is incredibly promising for the club and this group of players.”
Parhas is keen to use the two remaining games on the national stage to ensure his side has something to show for its efforts and to build foundations for the future.
“We desperately want to get that first win on this stage. It's an opportunity to demonstrate that we're growing, and an opportunity for the players to demonstrate that they belong at this level
“These next two games give us the perfect opportunity to see what these young guys are made of and give them that experience. This is a great chance to give those young kids, who'll be at this club for a long time, that opportunity to taste it and then calibrate.”
The first half of Adelaide City’s clash with Wests APIA in Round Two saw the Black and White fall short of their own expectations and get punished. With a nationally televised rematch ahead, Parhas is confident his team can give Franco Parisi’s side headaches, as they did in the second half of their first match.
“We showed that we absolutely can make things hard for [APIA]. We can score goals; we can create opportunities.
“We want to come home with a wet sail and spoil the party for APIA because they look like they're the benchmark in this group. We're backing ourselves in to put up a good fight.”
A third consecutive away trip is a challenge, but it is compounded by the fact that it is a Thursday night game, which forces City to adapt.
Parhas is embracing the challenge, commending his players and support staff on the improvements in the newfound experience of travelling interstate for football.
“We've travelled better the second trip than we did the first. Little things like scheduling training before flying out and how we structure our meals — all of those things we've done better.
“All of the things that professionals are accustomed to, day in, day out, we're learning on the fly. This is just another opportunity to go, ‘Okay, how do we do it on a Thursday night, and what did we learn from Newcastle and Melbourne?’”
Adelaide City’s clash with Wests APIA takes place on Thursday 12th November at 7:00 PM South Australian time at Leichhardt’s Lambert Park. You can watch it live and free on SBS2 and SBS On Demand.
