Central Coast Mariners are back at Our Paradise for a Friday night clash against Adelaide United, 7.35pm kick-off at Our Paradise.
Mark Jackson’s side are looking to make it three wins on the bounce in the A-League, and back-to-back home wins following Sunday’s win over Sydney FC.
🔎 Adelaide’s unbeaten start and ones to watch
The Reds have had a maybe understated unbeaten start to the A-League season with four wins and two draws so far. However, they are yet to play a side in the top six, with the Mariners in 7th, the highest team they’ve faced so far.
Last time out, Adelaide were 1-0 winners over Newcastle Jets despite having Ben Folami sent off in the second half. As a result, he is out of the clash at Our Paradise.
Opposition Head Coach Carl Veart is understandably pleased with where his side are at, but he is expecting a difficult game at Our Paradise and said his side will have to be at their best.
Defensive duo Bart Vriends and Panagiotis Kikianis play key roles in how Adelaide operate with, as well as without the ball. They are the top two in the league for accurate passes per90 so far this season which tells exactly how Veart wants his team to set up and play out from the back, making for an intriguing tactical battle on Friday evening.
Englishman Zach Clough is the main man in attack, he already has three goals and two assists and is well on his way to replicating his form from last season which saw him rack up 15 G/A despite Adelaide’s underwhelming season.
Clough will look to provide the chances for young forwards Archie Goodwin and Luka Jovanovic. Highly-rated teenager Jovanovic scored against the Mariners in Round Two but has scored only once since, without a goal in his last four.
Goodwin may only have one goal so far in Red, but has the highest number of shots (5.6), shots on target (3.5) and XG (1.26) per 90 minutes in the A-League, so is clearly a threat the Mariners need to monitor.
🗣 Nathan Paull: “We’re looking to build momentum”
One of the players looking to squash those attacking threats will be Nathan Paull, the 21-year-old defender had arguably his best game in a Mariners shirt to date against Sydney, completing 15 defensive actions to keep a star-studded Sky Blue attacking line relatively quiet.
Paully spoke about building momentum as a team, his performance against Sydney and his relationship with Brian Kaltak, playing in front of the fans at Our Paradise and more in his pre-match press conference.
⏮ Previously against Adelaide
A game of two halves at Coopers Stadium in Round Two saw us take a point thanks to Sabit Ngor’s first A-League goal. The Mariners looked leggy in the first half after travelling back from China that week, but inspired substitutions from Jacko saw us get on top in the second half and take a deserved point.
Last season, the Mariners met Adelaide at Our Paradise on the final game of the season, winning 2-0 to secure the Premiers Plate in front of our fans, who will be hoping for a similar result this evening.
The overall head-to-head history of this fixture is extremely balanced, with the Mariners winning 28 to Adelaide’s 29, whilst the draw in Round Two this season was the 10th draw. The Mariners will be hoping to continue a strong run of wins at home to the Reds, who haven’t managed a win on the Coast since 2019.
🗣 Mark Jackson: “We want to be on the front foot at home”
Jacko spoke about the positivity in the dressing room, the previous meeting with Adelaide and how the squad are preparing for another tough game, plus how he wants the team to play at home in front of our fans.
🎟 Ticket & Membership options
Tickets for the game are on sale via Ticketek, whilst you can also benefit from our flexible six-game membership offer. Six-game memberships are available for just $90, granting you access to this game, five more Isuzu UTE A-League matches and a host of other exclusive member benefits.
The Mariners spirit.
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) December 12, 2024
🎟: https://t.co/86XZj62FWN#CCMFC #RideTheWave🌊 pic.twitter.com/rlLQB7emTV
