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Central Coast Mariners will lock horns against league leaders Melbourne Victory at the Allianz Stadium in the A-League on Saturday.
The inaugural A-Leagues 2023-24 Unite Round is set to get underway this week, in which all 24 teams across the A-League Men and A-League Women will come together to play a round of 12 matches across three stadiums in Sydney.
The Mariners have seen an upturn in form recently and head into the match on a nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions. They made it three wins on the trot in the previous outing, as Marco Túlio's long-range stunner helped them register a 1-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers. Tulio was playing his last game for the Mariners and left his former employers with a parting gift.
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Victory opened up a two-point lead over second-placed Welington Phoenix in the league standings with a 3-2 win over Perth Glory on Saturday. It was a close game as Kaelan Majekodunmi had equalized in the 89th minute for Glory but Ben Folami proved to be the hero for Victory, scoring his first goal of the season in the sixth minute of added time.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have a long-standing rivalry and have crossed paths 55 times in all competitions since 2005. Victory have a clear upper hand in these meetings with 26 wins to their name. The Mariners have 14 wins against their southern rivals and 15 games have ended in draws.
- Central Coast Mariners have won five of their last six games across all competitions, scoring 18 goals while keeping four clean sheets.
- Melbourne Victory have kept their unbeaten run intact in the league after 11 games and have registered four wins in their last five games.
- Victory have the best attacking record in the A-League this season, scoring 24 goals. The Mariners are not far behind with 22 goals to their name.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory Prediction
The Mariners have bounced back well from consecutive defeats in their first four league games of the season, recording five games in the seven games since. They have kept clean sheets in three of their last five league outings and have scored at least three goals in four games in that period.
Head coach Mark Jackson faces the daunting task of replacing Marco Tulio, who had five goals and four assists this season, for the match after the Brazilian departed for Kyoto Sanga earlier this week. Harry Steele has a foot injury while Sasha Kuzevski is a long-term absentee.
Big V have enjoyed an unbeaten run in the league this term and have four wins in their last five league outings. They have kept three clean sheets in that period as well.
Despite the absence of the prolific Bruno Fornaroli on account of international duty, they scored thrice in their previous outing, so head coach Tony Popovic is unlikely to make any changes to the starting XI for this crucial clash.
The two teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture last month and, considering their current form, another high-scoring draw might ensue.
Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Melbourne Victory
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Zinédine Machach to score or assist any time - Yes
