The games continue to roll on for the Central Coast Mariners as they travel to Leichhardt Oval in Sydney to face Sydney FC in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Sunday afternoon.
The fixture between two sides in the past has brought a mixture of success for both sides, however in recent times, the Mariners have held the ascendancy, keeping the Sky Blues scoreless in the two meetings this season by a 2-0 and 1-0 score line in the league and cup respectively. After a string of good results, a Mariners side that was heavily impacted by COVID-19 absences, fell to reigning champions Melbourne City at home last weekend.
On the other side of the card, Sydney FC have been playing a lot of football lately and come into this fixture missing a few key figures in their side with Rhyan Grant, Joel King and Andrew Redmayne being called up to the national team alongside Central Coast’s Kye Rowles. Sydney travelled to Melbourne on Tuesday for the Big Blue which finished a 2-2 stalemate with the Sky Blues twice coming from behind to level the contest.
Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s action will be seen at Leichhardt Oval for the first time this season, but in the past, it has not been a happy hunting ground for Sydney FC, winless in their last three fixtures there.
The Central Coast currently sit in 7th place on the table with Sydney FC one spot above them, however the Mariners have three games in hand over the Sky Blues. The Mariners have been boosted by the arrival of their new striker in Jason Cummings who joins the club from Dundee FC with a very good goal scoring record to his name.
Speaking to the media this morning, Nick Montgomery gave an update on the fitness of the returning boys who missed last week’s action due to COVID-19.
The boys are back from COVID, they did a jog last night and got the all clear by the doctor so they are back in contention for this weekend.”
Jason Cummings has joined the Mariners from Dundee FC in Scotland and has made a good impression on his coach and fellow players despite only being in the country for less than a week.
“His impact has been instant. It is like he’s been for two years. The boys love having him here and he can score goals. You can see in training he’s a top player. His finishing is top class. He is available for tomorrow.”
If the Mariners wish to continue this good run of form against Sydney, getting the first goal will be key as they are one of only two teams to have scored the first goal and gone on to win each match this season. On the reverse, if they concede first, they have gone on to lose each match that this has occurred.
It is set to be a Sunday sizzler in Leichhardt when both of these sides lock horns once more at a family friendly kick off time of 4:05pm.
Match Details
Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners
Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s
Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt, NSW
Kick Off: 4:05pm
Broadcast Live on Paramount+
Tickets: Click Here
