UPDATED: MILAN Susak, Serginho van Dijk, Evgeniy Levchenko and Andy Slory won't be travelling with Adelaide United to New Zealand because of injury.

Daniel Mullen and Mark Birighitti have both been summoned to Olyroos duty in the Middle-East, further decimating the Reds squad which is set to face Wellington Phoenix in Auckland on Saturday.

Adelaide officials handed 16 passports to the 16 remaining fit players at Adelaide Airport this afternoon.

Adelaide boss Rini Coolen said the injuries and national team call ups now presented opportunities for players who haven't seen any game time this season.

Former Adelaide City midfielder Ricardo da Silva, ex Sydney FC defender Antony Golec and long-term injured Fabian Barbiero were three players boarding the flight for Melbourne and then Auckland this afternoon who have been included in the 16-man squad.

The trio have not made any appearances in Adelaide's six games this season.

''The positive thing is the players that are injured they're all coming back next week,'' Coolen said.

''There are a few new players coming onto the bench and that gives them chances.

''That's what you want, everybody is focussed to get that chance.''

Adelaide captain Jon McKain will face his former club for the first time since he left Wellington to join Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr last year.

McKain believes Wellington will face a resilient Reds in spite of the injury crisis.

''We haven't played the same team (XI) back-to-back,'' he said.

''It doesn't help for cohesion that's why we've got a squad we don't play with just XI players.

''We've got the full 21 (man squad) at the moment and it's good that the youth team has started so the players that haven't started have been getting game time there.''

Twitter: @val61



Originally published as Reds hit by injuries and national duty