Following a rained out first match of the season against the Newcastle Jets, the Central Coast Mariners head to Wellington in chase of their first win of the new campaign.
Team News
The Central Coast Mariners have named an almost unchanged 20 man squad from last weekend, with only Garang Kuol and Nectarios Triantis dropping out due to national team commitments.
In their place come Sasha Kuzevski and James Bayliss to round out the side heading for Wellington.
Both Kuol and Triantis will be available for our round three clash at home against Perth Glory, while Dan Hall will also return from suspension.
Wellington Phoenix have only made one change to their 20-man squad, with Yan Sasse dropping out due to suspension.
Recent Form
While the Mariners have not yet played a game in the A-League this season, the side have produced a number of pleasing results during the pre-season.
These include wins over Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, who both won against tough opposition in round one of the A-League, as well as a 2-0 defeat of Wellington.
Phoenix on the other hand were unfortunate not to pick up three points in their first game last weekend, with a Ben Halloran equaliser in stoppage time denying them the victory.
After Sasse was sent off in the 25th minute Wellington were able to hold out Adelaide for much of the match, with Ben Waine coming off the bench to score the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute.
The last minute equaliser left them with one point out of the match, leaving them currently in fifth place on the ladder.
Previous Fixtures
The Mariners were able to come out with two wins from our three matches against Wellington last season after suffering a tight 2-1 defeat in round two.
The sides did not face off until April 5th, with the Mariners coming out 5-0 victors at home.
The Central Coast then travelled to Wellington to play in the home side’s homecoming match, where we were able to come out with a commanding 4-0 victory.
Looking at the all-time history of the match up, both Wellington and Central Coast have won the fixture 18 times, with seven draws.
This will be the 20th occasion that the two sides face off at Sky Stadium, with Wellington holding a narrow eight-seven lead at the venue.
Squads
Central Coast: 2. Thomas AQUILINA, 3. Brian KALTAK, 4. Joshua NISBET, 6. Maximilien BALARD, 7. Samuel SILVERA, 9. Jason CUMMINGS, 11. Beni NKOLOLO, 13. Harrison STEELE, 15. Storm ROUX, 17. KELECHI, 18. Jacob FARRELL, 20. Daniel VUKOVIC (c), (gk), 21. Michael RUHS, 22. Cameron WINDUST, 24. Yaren SOZER (gk), 27. Sasha KUZEVSKI, 28. James BAYLISS, 29. Dor JOK, 90. Paul AYONGO, 98. MARCO TULIO
Ins: 27. Sasha KUZEVSKI (promoted), James BAYLISS (promoted)
Unavailable: 10. Matheus MORESCHE (injured), 14. Garang KUOL (international duty), 23. Daniel HALL (suspended), 25. Nectarios TRIANTIS (international duty), 26. Bradley TAPP (injured)
Wellington Phoenix: 3. Finn SURMAN, 4. Scott WOOTTON, 5. Steven UGARKOVIC, 6. Tim PAYNE, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Ben OLD, 9. Oskar ZAWADA, 11. Bozhidar KRAEV, 12. Lucas MAURAGIS, 13. Nicholas PENNINGTON, 17. Callan ELLIOT, 18. Ben WAINE, 19. Sam SUTTON, 20. Oli SAIL (gk), 21. Joshua LAWS, 23. Clayton LEWIS, 24. Oskar VAN HATTUM, 40. Alex PAULSEN (gk)
Out: 31. Yan SASSE (suspended)
Unavailable: 10. David BALL (injured), 14. Alex RUFER (injured), 31. Yan SASSE (suspended)
Match Details
Wellington Phoenix vs Central Coast Mariners
Sunday, 16 October
Kick-off: 1:00pm AEDT
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+
