It’s now four games without defeat for the Central Coast Mariners as they got the better of Macarthur Bulls 4-2 in Mudgee last weekend and they will look to continue their undefeated run.
After an extremely impressive performance against the Bulls on the weekend courtesy of a Marco Ureña double and a goal from Matt Hatch and Noah Smith respectively, the Yellow and Navy now turn their attention to Adelaide United this Saturday night at Central Coast Stadium.
The Reds currently sit third on the Isuzu UTE A-League Men table but haven’t won in back-to-back games as they played the Western Sydney Wanderers twice in less than a week, drawing one and losing the other.
The Mariners will be looking for back to back wins against Adelaide United after last season’s dramatic 2-1 victory when the Mariners missed two penalties but still went onto win the match with a goal from Oliver Bozanic and Alou Kuol.
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Speaking to media priot to the match, Nick Montgomery is confident in the ability of his team despite missing Kye Rowles.
“We’ve got Dan, we’ve got Cam Windust who’s had a few appearances of late but it shows we have some good young boys in that area.
“If we play the way we’ve been playing and stick to the process. If we concentrate on ourselves and attack the way we did against Macarthur then it can be in our hands.”
So, who are the key players to keep an eye on this coming Saturday against the Reds?
Marco Ureña (Central Coast Mariners)
After netting an impressive double against the Bulls on the weekend, Ureña now is looking to once again, impose his dominance this weekend, against the Reds.
The 32-year-old now has five goals in 16 games for Central Coast Mariners and his game under Mariners coach Nick Montgomery is much more than just scoring goals, boasting a strong assist count also this season.
Despite his five-goal tally so far, Ureña’s form of late has given the Yellow and Navy a much-needed boost in the final third. The former Costa Rican international averages over 83% of his passes in the opposition half being accurate, while also averaging 1.6 key passes per game.
Ureña has now found the net every 261 minutes and will be looking to continue his run of goal-scoring form this weekend against Adelaide United.
Hiroshi Ibusuki (Adelaide United)
After making the leap over to the Reds from Japan in January as a replacement signing for Stephan Mauk, 31-year-old Ibuski has hit the ground running at Coopers Stadium in style as the former Sevilla striker has netted on four occasions in 12 games for the Reds.
The tall Japanese striker has found the net every 216 minutes, while he has missed two big chances to add to his tally of four goals so far this season.
Along with his two big chances missed, Ibuski only has a successful dribble ratio of 43% while he has a shot to goal conversion ratio of 15% and the Yellow and Navy defence will be looking to keep him quiet on Saturday evening.
The action kicks off at 7:45pm at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday night.
Match Details
Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United
Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s MW20
Saturday 26th March 2022
Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, NSW
Kick Off: 7:45pm AEDT
Gates Open: 6:45pm AEDT
Tickets: Here
