Our Central Coast Mariners Isuzu UTE A-League team are on the road for a big four days of footballing action, with our first stop being Coopers Stadium. There we will take on Adelaide Untied, in a semi-final rematch from last season. Â
📈 Form:
Coming into this clash the Mariners have been on an extraordinary run of form, currently on an undefeated streak of 10 matches in the A-League and 12 matches in all competitions.
This includes back-to-back undefeated months in both December and January, winning five of our past six matches to secure 16 of a possible 18 points.
Our last match saw us grab a 2-0 win at home against Brisbane Roar, with Miguel Di Pizio opening the scoring in the 38th with his first Isuzu UTE A-League goal. Angel Torres sealed the result in the 90th minute, pushing us up into third place.
Adelaide have had a mixed bag of results over their past five games, picking up one win, two draws and two losses. Currently sitting in eighth place on the ladder, they hold six less points compared to us across the season so far.
Their last match saw them take a trip to AAMI Park to face Melbourne City, ultimately falling to a 1-0 defeat against last season’s Premiers. Terry Antonis’ strike in the 5th minute was enough to get the hosts the three points, despite Adelaide having numerous chances and 25 shots.
📋 Team News:
The Central Coast Mariners have made one change to our matchday squad from last week, with our newest signing Ryan Edmondson added to the list.
Miguel Di Pizio was a late addition to the squad last week and retains his place for this weekend. Brad Tapp and Noah Smith drop out of the squad.
Adelaide have named an unchanged squad for this Saturday’s match, with Panagiotis Kikianis and Fabian Talladira included after missing out on selection last game.
The Reds have recently also announced the signing of former captain Stefan Mauk, with it remaining to be seen whether the midfielder will be a late inclusion to their team sheet.
👀 Players to watch:
Angel Torres has been on a scintillating run of form of late, scoring an 89th minute winner against Melbourne City before sealing the three points with a stoppage time goal against Brisbane Roar last weekend.
The winger has scored eight goals over his past seven games, leaving him as the third top scorer in the league so far this season. A seriously hard worker out on the pitch, the Colombian has certainly found his feet in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Since returning to the starting eleven in late December, Hiroshi Ibusuki has found the best form that he has had since joining Adelaide United.
Six goals in his past six games has propelled him up to seven total strikes for the season to date, the equal most he has scored in a season in the league.
