Following a last minute Wellington equaliser at Sky Stadium last weekend, the Central Coast Mariners face Perth Glory at home on Sunday with their eyes firmly set on collecting our first three points of the season.
Team News
The Central Coast Mariners have received a serious boost this weekend, welcoming back Garang Kuol, Nectar Triantis and Dan Hall into the matchday 20 man squad.
After a successful U-20’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign, Triantis and Kuol return to the squad filled with confidence.
The duo were set to play in our opening clash against Newcastle Jets before it was rained out, with both now racing the clock to be included in the matchday side following the long overseas trip.
Perth have made three changes to their side, with Keegan Jelacic, Adam Zimarino and Strfan Colakovski all making their way into the squad, with David Williams ruled out with illness.
Recent Form
After an evenly contested start to our match against Wellington, the Mariners were unlucky not to collect all three points on our trip across the ditch.
A vastly improved second half effort saw the Central Coast hold a 2-1 lead until the 88th minute, with the Phoenix unfortunately equalising late to split the points.
Jason Cummings was immediately back to his goalscoring best last Sunday, having a spectacular bicycle kick ruled out for offside before scoring a perfectly placed lob in the second half.
Samuel Silvera also proved how important he will be to the side this season with a remarkable solo effort early in the second half, while Beni Nkoloko looked dangerous throughout the 90 minutes.
Despite the side still having things to improve on, the platform was certainly laid in our first game of the campaign for a hugely successful season.
Perth could count themselves unlucky not to currently be sitting on two points in the Izuzu UTE A-League competition, conceding a 78th minute goal against Western Sydney and 90th minute goal against Newcastle to hand them to two early season losses.
They currently sit in 11th place with zero points, one of only two sides without a point so far this season.
Previous fixtures
The Mariners have not lost to Perth since an away trip in 2020, currently having a four-game undefeated streak. Three of these have been draws, 2-all, 1-all and nil-all respectively.
The two sides last faced off in round 15 during the 2021/22 season, with the Mariners traveling over to Perth. The match ended 0-0, with Mark Birighitti’s penalty top against Bruno Fornaroli in the 18th minute the major highlight.
Central Coast Stadium has certainly not been a happy hunting ground for Perth, with the traveling party recording just five wins over 24 trips to Our Paradise. On 15 occasions the Mariners have secured the three points, a number that will hopefully continue to grow this weekend.
Squads
Central Coast squad: 2. Thomas AQUILINA, 3. Brian KALTAK, 4. Joshua NISBET, 6. Maximilien BALARD, 7. Samuel SILVERA, 9. Jason CUMMINGS, 11. Beni NKOLOLO, 13. Harrison STEELE, 14. Garang KUOL, 15. Storm ROUX, 17. Kelechi JOHN, 18. Jacob FARRELL, 20. Daniel VUKOVIC (c), (gk), 21. Michael RUHS, 23. Daniel Hall, 24. Yaren SOZER (gk), 25. Nectarios TRIANTIS, 29. Dor JOK, 90. Paul AYONGO, 98. MARCO TULIO
In: 14. Garang KUOL (return from international duty), 23. Daniel HALL (return from suspension), 25. Nectarios TRIANTIS (return from international duty)
Out: 22. Cameron WINDUST (not selected), James Bayliss (not selected), Sasha Kuzevski (not selected)
Unavailable: 10. Matheus MORESCHE (injured), 26. Bradley TAPP (injured)
Perth Glory squad: 33.Liam REDDY (gk), 2.John KOUTROUMBIS, 5.Mark BEEVERS, 6.Aaron MCENEFF, 7.Ryan WILLIAMS, 8.Mustafa AMINI (c), 9.Bruno FORNAROLI, 10.Salim KHELIFI, 11.Ben AZUBEL, 12.Luke IVANOVIC, 14.Jack CLISBY, 16.Keegan JELACIC, 19.Zach DUNCAN, 20.Giordano COLLI, 23.Mitch OXBORROW, 29.Darryl LACHMAN, 30.Pierce CLARK (gk), 37.Jacob MUIR, 43.Adam ZIMARINO, 77.Stefan COLAKOVSKI
In: 16.Keegan JELACIC, 43.Adam ZIMARINO, 77.Stefan COLAKOVSKI
Out: 18.David WILLIAMS
Unavailable: 1.Brad JONES (gk) (injured), 13.Cameron COOK (gk) (injured), 18.David WILLIAMS (illness), 21.Anthony BURKE-GILROY (injured), 22.Adrian SARDINERO (injured)
Match Details
Central Coast Mariners vs Perth Glory
Sunday, October 23rd
Kick-off: 5:00pm AEDT
Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on Paramount +
Buy tickets: HERE
