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Marco Kurz buoyant despite 'question marks' looming over Adelaide United ahead of FFA Cup final


Adelaide United coach Marco Kurz says he has many questions to answer while embracing the underdog tag for Tuesday night's FFA Cup final against Sydney FC.

Kurz will delay fitness calls on injured striker Baba Diawara (knee) and German recruit Mirko Boland (hip) until after training on Monday night.

Attacker George Blackwood is already out of the cup final in Adelaide because of a broken collarbone but winger Nikola Mileusnic is available after missing the opening two A-League rounds because of a foot injury.

"We have a lot of question marks," Kurz told reporters on Monday. "[But] for sure, we will have players who are a strong squad.

"We are ready for a big fight and we want the trophy. It's up to the players who are available, I trust and I know they fight for every inch."

Kurz said powerhouses Sydney FC were deserved favourites to win consecutive cups -- they downed Adelaide in extra-time in last year's final.

"For us, the next step in our improvement is to win the trophy," he said. "They are the favourites, with their experience, they have played a lot of finals, they have won a lot of trophies.

"On this day they are a step in front of us.

"We can beat them. But we have to do a great job and each player must find his best performance."

Sydney FC have lost prized signing Siem de Jong to a hamstring injury suffered in their A-League game on Saturday night.

Kurz's Adelaide played on Friday night, giving them an extra day's rest before the final, but the German-born manager dismissed any advantage.


"They are fit enough to play two games in a row with a short break," he said

Both clubs are be seeking to claim the cup for the second time, with Adelaide winning the inaugural 2014 trophy.

And Tuesday night's decider is a rematch of the A-League opening round clash between the clubs which finished 1-1.

"You can find after each game some weaknesses but also some strengths," Kurz said.

"We know that they need maybe one chance to score a goal. They have a lot of good key players ... [Adam] Le Fondre is a beautiful striker, [Milos] Ninkovic is a perfect player.

"It's up to us. If we play compact and aggressive against them, then they will have problems."

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