Following a narrow 3-1 defeat against Chinese club Shandong Taishan, in the first AFC Champions League Elite matchup.
The Central Coast Mariners look to bounce back hosting Thai league champions, Buriram United, who’ve won the past three titles in Thai league 1. Central Coast Mariners have their sights firmly set on securing their first win of the 2024 campaign.
MATCH DETAILS
The second matchup of the AFC Champions League Elite between Central Coast Mariners and Buriram United will kick off on Tuesday 1st of October, 6pm AEST at Central Coast Stadium, Gosford. This will be the first home game for the A-League Champions since that memorable Grand Final night in May.
Buriram United have made an impressive start to their 2024 season campaign, remaining undefeated after seven games in Thai League 1. They have achieved six wins and a draw so far leading into the AFC Champions League Elite matchup against the Central Coast Mariners.
The Central Coast Mariners come into the game with a reduced match schedule compared to the ‘Northeastern giants’, with us still in our League pre-season.
TEAM NEWS
Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Mark Jackson will have several options within the squad at his disposal, the squad confident heading into the second match day of the 2024/25 season.
The club’s focus will be to secure the first three points of the campaign, coming off the back of the narrow 3-1 defeat in Shandong in the first AFC Champions League Elite matchday.
Returning from China, the Mariners will play their first home game at Industree Group Stadium for the 2024/2025 season, with it being our first opportunity to play in front of the Mariners Family for the new season.
The matchday on Tuesday night will provide a great opportunity to build momentum, into the A-League season. The club will face off against Melbourne Victory on the 18th of October in our Round one fixture, a Grand Final rematch.
RECENT FORM
The Mariners come into the midweek matchup having learnt a lot from our narrow defeat to Shandong Taishan in the opening AFC Champions League match week. The team showed great determination in our first game in the competition, with the squad still firmly focused on pre-season preparations for the A-League season opener.
The Mariners had the best of the chances in the first half despite trailing until the 45th minute, a spot kick for Mickael Doka equalising on the stroke of half time.
The Central Coast Mariners controlled most of the ball with 62% possession of the ball over the full course of the 90 minutes, and despite the loss it was a positive performance showing confidence to control the ball and take on the game.
With two goals scored by Valeri Qazaishvili in the 74th and the 88th minute, he sealed the final 3-1 defeat for the Central Coast Mariners.
