Central Coast Mariners will host Brisbane Roar in an Australian A League matchday four fixture on Sunday.
The home side are coming into the game on the back of a 2-1 away victory over Bali United in the AFC Cup on Wednesday. Alou Kuol and Marco Tulio scored either side of Jefferson's strike to help the visitors leave with all three points.
The Yellow & Navy will turn their focus back to the league scene, where their last game saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat away to Perth Glory.
Brisbane Roar, meanwhile, suffered a harrowing 5-2 defeat away to Wellington Phoenix. They went ahead through Florin Berenguer's first-minute goal but Tim Payne and Oskar Zawada scored to help the Phoenix take a 2-1 lead into the break. Zawada completed his hat-trick with a second-half brace.
The defeat left them in seventh place in the table, having garnered four points from three games. Central Coast Mariners are second-from-bottom on zero points.
Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the 58th meeting between the two sides. Brisbane Roar have 37 wins to their name while the Mariners were victorious in 12 previous games.
- Their most recent meeting came in April 2023 when Central Coast Mariners claimed a 4-1 home win.
- Five of Central Coast Mariners' games in all competitions have produced three goals or more.
- Three of Brisbane Roar's last four competitive games witnessed more goals scored in the second half than the first.
- Central Coast Mariners are unbeaten in the last five head-to-head games, winning each of the last four.
Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar Prediction
Central Coast Mariners are defending champions in the league but their title defense has started horrendously. They have lost all three games played so far, conceding seven and scoring just one.
Furthermore, they might be plagued by fatigue from playing an away continental game in midweek. This could give Brisbane Roar an edge and they also have a good recent record against their hosts.
We are backing the two sides to share the spoils in a high-scoring stalemate.
Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Brisbane Roar
Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Bold Tip - Both teams to score over 1.5 goals