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Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC go head-to-head at the Central Coast Stadium in the second leg of the A-League playoff semi-finals on Saturday.
Having suffered a 2-1 loss in last week’s reverse leg, Ufuk Talay’s men will head into the weekend looking to turn the tie on its head and book their spot in the final.
Central Coast Mariners turned in a resolute team performance last Friday when they fought back from behind to claim a vital 2-1 victory over Sydney FC in the first leg of their playoff semi-final clash.
In a heated contest in which Sydney finished with nine men, Josh Nisbet and Mikael Doka found the target to cancel out Joel King’s 25th-minute opener at the Allianz Stadium.
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Central Coast Mariners have won five games on the bounce and are unbeaten in their last nine outings, claiming eight wins and one draw since the start of April.
Sydney FC, meanwhile, have failed to win four of their last seven matches since the start of April, a run which has put their dreams of clinching the playoff crown in peril.
This poor run of form has been owing to their recent defensive vulnerabilities as they have managed just one clean sheet in their seven matches since March 30.
While Sydney will be looking to overturn their first-leg deficit, they will have to show their mettle on the road, where they are on a four-game winless run, losing three and picking up one draw since March’s 4-1 victory at Western Sydney Wanderers.
Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC Head-To-Head
With 28 wins from the last 58 meetings between the sides, Sydney hold a superior record in the history of this fixture. Central Coast Mariners have picked up 17 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 13 occasions.
Central Coast Mariners Form Guide: W-W-W-W-W
Sydney FC Form Guide: L-W-W-L-W
Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC Team News
Central Coast Mariners
Noah Smith and Sasha Kuzevski are recuperating from injuries and are out of contention for the home side.
Injured: Noah Smith, Sasha Kuzevski
Suspended: None
Sydney FC
Sydney FC will be without several injured players. Jackson Rodwell and Corey Hollman are both suspended after receiving their marching orders in the first leg.
Injured: Joseph Lacey, Gus Hoefsloot, Nathan Amanatidis, Joe Lolley, Jake Girdwood-Reich
Suspended: Jackson Rodwell, Corey Hollman
Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC Predicted XI
Central Coast Mariners Predicted XI (4-4-2): Danny Vukovic; Storm Roux, Daniel Hall, Brian Kaltak, Jacob Farrell; Mikael Doka, Maximilien Balard, Brad Tapp, Ronald; Alou Kuol, Joshua Nisbet
Sydney FC Predicted XI (4-3-3): Andrew Redmayne; Rhyan Grant, Hayden Matthews, Aaron Gurd, Joel King; Max Burgess, Luke Brattan, Jordan Courtney-Perkins; Anthony Caceres, Fabio Gomes, Robert Mak
Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC Prediction
Following last weekend’s victory, Central Coast Mariners are in the driver’s seats heading into Saturday.
Mark Jackson’s men are currently firing on all cylinders and we see them seeing off a Sydney side who have struggled for consistency.
Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Sydney FC
