Match Preview: Adelaide United (A)

Central Coast Mariners are back in A-League action on Saturday evening, as they face Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium (5pm kick-off).

The Mariners began the Isuzu UTE A-League season with a solid 0-0 draw against last season’s Grand Final opposition Melbourne Victory, then backed that up with a positive performance in the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday evening, narrowly losing 3-2 to Chinese Super League giants Shanghai Port.

Adelaide United are kicking off their season on Saturday after a BYE in Round One, so both sides are battling for their first win of the season on what promises to be another entertaining clash at Coopers.

The Reds have been clear on their target for this season which is to finish in the top four, after missing out on finals last season. They did have a strong run in the Australia Cup in preparation for this campaign, reaching the semi-finals before losing 1-0 to Melbourne Victory.

Squad News

There are no fresh injury concerns for Jacko as he names the same 20-man squad as Round One.

For Adelaide, Reds’ Head Coach Carl Veart has had to deal with the departures of two key contributors last season in top scorer Hiroshi Ibusuki (15 Goals 3 Assists) and Socceroos starlet Nestory Irankunda (8G, 6A), among nine off-season departures.

Ins: Archie Goodwin (Newcastle Jets), Dylan Pierias (Western Sydney Wanderers), Bart Vriends, Julian Kwaaitaal (immediately loaned to FC Eindhoven), Amlani Tatu, Feyzo Kasumovic, Malual Nichola, Ben Folami, Jordan Elsey

Outs: Nestory Irankunda (Bayern Munich), Ben Halloran, Hiroshi Ibusuki, Nick Ansell, Lachlan Barr, Harry van Der Saag (Brisbane Roar), Ben Warland, Giuseppe Bovalina (Vancouver Whitecaps), Musa Toure (Clermont Foot 63)

Re-signings: Ethan Cox (2027), Isaías (2024), Javi López (2024), Austin Ayoubi (2026), Panagiotis Kikianis (2029), Ethan Alagich (2029)
*via A-Leagues

Englishman Zach Clough had a quietly productive 23/24 season (8G, 7A) and will be expected to be the Reds’ chief creator again this campaign, whilst young striker Luka Jovanovic has been handed the number nine jersey will be trusted to provide the goals.

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Veart confirmed the absence of new defensive signings Bart Vriends and Jordan Elsey due to injuries. It is likely that Spanish midfielder Isais will slot in at centre-back as he has done previously for the Reds.

The Adelaide boss was also complimentary of the Mariners’ off-season recruitment and performance in China this week and expects ‘a tough game’ on Saturday.

Classic Coopers Clashes

Jacko’s first A-League game in charge saw us fall to a 3-0 defeat at Coopers Stadium in Round One last season, but we avenged that result with a clinical 4-0 win on our most recent visit in March.

The fixture has a very even head-to-head record with 29 Adelaide wins, 28 Mariners wins and 9 draws. 10 of those wins for the Mariners have come at Coopers but non are sweeter than the 4-1 win in April 2023 that saw us secure our qualification for the AFC Cup, Harry Steele sealing the win with his first Mariners goal.

How to Watch and get involved!

Watch the game live on Paramount+ or 10Bold and don’t forget to follow all the action live via Official Central Coast Mariners social channels.

Get involved by using the hashtags #CCMFC, #ADLvCCM and #RideTheWave!

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