Soccer: Mix and match name of game

Jeremy Christie, one of three young Knights players who is training fulltime with the team. Picture / dean purcell

John Adshead and, one suspects, other coaches are in no hurry to show their hand completely in putting out teams for the A-League Pre-Season Cup.

In naming his side for tomorrow night's first home game against Queensland Roar at North Harbour Stadium, Knights coach Adshead has made changes from the team who lost 3-1 to favourites Sydney FC at Aussie Stadium, but insists he and his players are still very much in pre-season mode.

"These games give us the chance to look at all players," Adshead said. "But you have to remember that we still haven't seen Darren Bazeley, Josh Maguire and Naoki Imaya play at all yet."

The Knights have also had a number of players hit by flu this week.

Adshead is considering four changes to the starting line-up for tomorrow night's game.

Young goalkeeper Glen Moss could replace the more experienced Danny Milosevic, who played against Sydney.

Fullback Frank van Eijs will probably get a start after being on the bench in Sydney, while Noah Hickey and midfielder Xiaobin Zhang, who played off the bench last week, look likely.

Zenon Caravella, who suffered a minor injury before the game in Sydney, has been named on the bench and is likely to get game time.

There is an exciting look about the Knights' line-up, with real interest in Xiaobin, who has quickly shown out as an attacking midfield force.

The former under-23 Chinese international, who last played for Stockport County in England, will give an attacking edge to the midfield, playing in behind strikers Hickey and Steve Devine.

He will be freed to push forward, leaving the other midfield duties to Steve Fitzsimmons, who scored a cracking goal in Sydney, Ben Collett and Neil Emblen.

The inclusion of van Eijs alongside centre-backs Danny Hay and John Tambouras, and left-back Ronnie Bull, also promises to add another dimension.

It will be a big test for Moss, but it gives him the opportunity to press for a place when the names for the first Hyundai-sponsored A-League match against Queensland at Suncorp Stadium on August 28 are read out.

Queensland coach Miron Bleiberg has also made changes, including resting goalkeeper Tom Willis to give Scott Higgins a start.

The early A-League odds suggest Queensland and the Knights will fill the last two places on the table at the end of this inaugural season.

"I'm not interested in the odds at this stage," Adshead said. "If we are the bottom two teams in January or February there might be some relevance, but at this stage anyone attempting to set the odds would need a crystal ball."

Adshead would not comment on the number of bookings his players picked up last week, but there was a feeling in Sydney that they were hard done by in picking up all four yellow cards handed out.

Hay, Milosevic, Simon Yeo and Fitzsimmons were booked by referee Ben Williams.

Craig Zetter, who controlled games in the old ASL, was even busier in booking Perth's Jamie Harnwell and sending off his team-mate, Steve McMahon Jun.

Zetter also booked Adelaide players Michael Valkanis, Craig Veart, Kristian Rees and Matthew Kemp inside the opening 48 minutes at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium.

In contrast, James Lewis got through the game in Newcastle without flashing any cards.

New Zealand's highest-ranked Fifa referee, Peter O'Leary, will control tomorrow night's game.