Vicki Linton's outfit dropped to fourth on the ladder after Adelaide United defeated the Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds now sit third but have the round-14 bye, meaning United's finals hopes rest on Friday night's result against the Sky Blues at Viking Park.

A draw would see them level Adelaide on 22-points, while a loss would likely see them crash out of finals contention as Melbourne Victory has two matches left to play.

United's top-four bid was boosted by a 1-0 win over the Newcastle Jets on Saturday night, with Michelle Heyman scoring the decider on her 100^th match for the club.

Following the match, captain Kendall Fletcher said taking three points against Sydney - who beat them 4-0 in round seven - would lift the team's momentum ahead of finals.

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"It's taking it one game at a time. We want to end well at home, Sydney is top of the table so it'll be a good test for us," Fletcher said.

"We need to get a result, that's the go from here on out. If we get into the semi's, it's going to need a result against some really good teams.

"It sets us up well going into finals football, because you have to beat the best to get there.

"We're really looking forward to it, we love playing at home in front of our crowd so I think it's going to set up for a really good match."

Former United players are excited to see the club back in finals contention, with Grace Gill saying it'll reinvigorate the football community and fans.

"It would be incredible. I think these last couple of matches are massive, there's a lot weighing on the next results," Gill said.

"The club has struggled for a few years now to get into the top four, I know that's been really hard on devot Canberra fans. It's tricky.

"It's been a promising season, Vicki Linton has pulled together a good squad and there's been some impressive performances.

"You just see finals does to Canberra United fans. They already come out in masses, but if they make the top four it would reinvigorate that all over again. It's special for the Canberra community."