The Central Coast Mariners will open their 2019/20 Hyundai A-League season on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium.
It will be the first Hyundai A-League clash at Bankwest Stadium, and between the two sides who contested the first ever at the old Parramatta Stadium, that Bankwest has replaced.
The Wanderers v Mariners rivalry is one that has developed over the years but is still underrated, and Saturday’s meeting is set to be a blockbuster showdown.
Both sides are looking to rebound from a lean 2018/19 season, the Mariners more so given the struggles of recent years.
But Alen Stajcic has recruited well and a strong outfit looks set to take to the park against the Wanderers on Saturday, live on ABC.
Sam Silvera has impressed throughout the pre-season and was rewarded with a senior contract this week, while Danny DeSilva and Tommy Oar have also been in strong from in matches so far.
How the Mariners deal with the attacking threats of the Wanderers will be key, with German forward Alex Meier no doubt looking to cause problems with his height at set pieces.
From Staj |
“It’s been 16 weeks of pre-season, so I’m sure the boys are chomping at the bit to get out there. We couldn’t ask for a better occasion, [playing in] the opening Hyundai A-League fixture at the new Parramatta Stadium, so hopefully a bumper crowd and an exciting match to boot.”
“Tommy has that x-factor, everyone knows that. He’s certainly the one who toward the back end of last season the team missed the most, and we know how sharp and explosive he is, he has so many weapons under his belt. If he can get in form, then I think Danny DeSilva is improving as well and Sammy too, we have a good mix of players who can cause havoc against the opposition.”
“Meier has a good reputation and good track record, obviously he’s an experienced player. We’ll always look at the opposition but we don’t focus on them, we’re focusing on what we need to do and fixing our weaknesses as well. But the Wanderers have built almost a brand new squad, and it’s a big season with lots of pressure for them.”
Matchday -1 ✅#CCMFC #ForTheBadge pic.twitter.com/AmeO8vEURm
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) October 11, 2019
Squads |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC squad: 1.Daniel LOPAR (gk), 4.Dylan MCGOWAN, 5.Daniel GEORGIEVSKI, 6.Matthew JURMAN, 7.Mitchell DUKE (c), 11.Bruce KAMAU, 13.Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 14.Alex MEIER, 16.Mathieu CORDIER, 17.Keanu BACCUS, 19.Pirmin SCHWEGLER, 21.Tarek ELRICH, 22.Nicholas SULLIVAN, 23.Kosta GROZOS, 27.Kwame YEBOAH, 29.Daniel WILMERING, 34.Patrick ZIEGLER, 35.Mo ADAM, 37.Jake TREW, 40.Nicholas SUMAN (gk) **2-4 to be omitted**
Unavailable: 33.Tate RUSSELL (International Duty)
Central Coast Mariners squad: 1.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 2.Ian Zygmunt GORDON, 3.Jack CLISBY, 6.Giancarlo GALLIFUOCO, 7.Milan DURIC, 8.Michael McGLINCHEY, 9.Jordan MURRAY, 10.Thomas OAR, 11.Daniel DE SILVA, 12.Adam PEARCE (gk), 14.Abraham MAJOK, 15.Kye ROWLES, 16.Dylan FOX, 17.Samuel SILVERA, 18. Gianni STENSNESS, 22.Jacob MELLING, 23.Mario SHABOW, 26.Joshua NISBET **2 to be omitted**
Unavailable: 19.Matthew SIMON (Suspended – 1 Week), 21.Ruon TONGYIK (Injured – Leg),4. Eunsun KIM (Injured – Leg)
Match Details |
Saturday, October 12 2019
Kick-off: 5.00pm AEDT
Broadcast: FOX Sports 505 and ABC TV
Stream: MyFootball Live App, Kayo Sports, ABC iview
Referee: Alireza Faghani
Assistant Referee 1: David Walsh
Assistant Referee 2: Andrej Giev
Fourth Official: Ben Abraham
VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 4:45pm (AEDT), ABC TV from 5:00pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport 7 (New Zealand), Kayo Sports (www.kayosports.com.au) and MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers
Radio Broadcast: myfootballnation.com (SWR999 FM, Coast FM). ABC Sydney, ABC NSW, Online.
