The Central Coast Mariners are looking to secure an important win this weekend as we travel down to Melbourne, set to face off against the Victory on Sunday afternoon.
Coming off the back of an impressive 4-1 win over Macarthur in Mudgee, three points are essential as we look to move back into the top two on the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s ladder.
In our way are Melbourne Victory, who despite currently sitting at the bottom of the ladder promise to be a serious challenge.
Team News
The Central Coast Mariners have made three changes to our 20-man squad that defeated the Bulls last weekend, welcoming back regular first team members.
Brian Kaltak comes back into the side after missing two weeks through suspension, having been sent off against Wellington Phoenix. The defender replaces Dean Larson in the squad, who drops out to make way for the Vanuatu international.
Moresche also returns, with the Brazilian having served his two-week suspension. Since returning from an ACL injury against Perth Glory, the striker has looked a serious threat on both occasions that he has come off the bench.
He replaces Zac Zoricich, who looked extremely promising in his debut last weekend.
The final change sees Nectarios Triantis join the side for the first time in almost a month. The defender has been away with Australia’s under 20’s side, returning to the Central Coast earlier this week. He replaces Jacob Farrell, who will unfortunately miss the match due to illness.
Melbourne Victory have made no changes to their extended squad named before their loss against Western United on Monday night.
Stefan Nigro and Will Wilson have both been promoted after missing out on the 18 man line up, while Luis Nani, Jake Brimmer and Matt Bozinovski are all still injured.
Recent Form
The Central Coast Mariners secured an incredibly important three points last weekend, dominating the Bulls in Mudgee.
Following a few tough weeks where the final score did not reflect the performance, the 4-1 win against Macarthur was well deserved.
The Mariners have lost just once in our past five matches, picking up eight of a possible 15 points. We currently sit in third place, securing 31 points so far this season.
Melbourne on the other hand are coming off a tough loss, falling 2-1 against Western United last weekend. A 69th minute goal from Aleksandar Prijovic enough to sink Victory, keeping them at the bottom of the A-League ladder.
The home side have secured just one win over their past five games, a 3-2 victory in the Melbourne Derby. The past month has also seen losses to Newcastle and Sydney FC, as well as a draw to Adelaide.
Melbourne currently sits in 12th place, winning only five of their 19 matches and having 18 total points.
Previous Meetings
The Central Coast Mariners have had the advantage in matchups between the two sides over the past few seasons, losing just once in our past seven games.
The most recent match resulted in a 2-1 Mariners victory. After the Central Coast scored early through Jason Cummings, Melbourne did get back into the contest through Cadete.
Some brilliant work from Brian Kaltak helped Cummings get his second, sealing the 2-1 victory.
The Mariners have had a tough time when playing at AAMI Park, having not secured a win at the ground since 2014. Montgomery and his men are determined to secure the three points on Sunday afternoon, breaking that streak.
Squads
Melbourne Victory
1.Matt ACTON, 2.Jason GERIA, 3.Enrique LOPEZ, 4.Rai MARCHAN, 5.Damien DA SILVA, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Chris IKONOMIDIS, 8.Josh BRILLANTE, 10.Bruno FORNAROLI, 11.Ben FOLAMI, 14.Connor CHAMPMAN, 16.Stefan NIGRO, 18.Bruce KAMAU, 19.Fernando ROMERO, 20.Paul IZZO, 21.Roderick MIRANDA, 23.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS, 24.Nishan VELUPILLAY, 28.Will WILSON, 29.Eli ADAMS
In: 16.Stefan NIGRO (promoted), 23.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS (promoted)
Out: nil
Unavailable: 17.Luis NANI (injured), 22.Jake BRIMMER (injured), 31.Matt BOZINOVSKI (injured)
Central Coast Mariners
3. Brian KALTAK, 4. Joshua NISBET, 5. James MCGARRY, 6. Maximilien BALARD, 7. Samuel SILVERA, 9. Jason CUMMINGS, 10. Matheus MORESCHE, 13. Harry STEELE, 14. Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 15. Storm ROUX, 20. Danny VUKOVIC, 22. Cameron WINDUST, 23. Daniel HALL, 24. Yaren SOZER, 25. Nectarios TRIANTIS, 27. Sasha KUZEVSKI, 28. James BAYLISS, 31. Christian THEOHAROUS, 41. Nicholas DUARTE, 98. Marco Tulio
Ins: 3. Brian KALTAK, 10. Matheus MORESCHE, 25. Nectarios TRIANTIS
Outs: 18. Jacob FARRELL (Illness), 32. Dean LARSON, 42. Zac ZORICICH
Unavailable: Beni NKOLOLO (Suspension), Bradley TAPP (injury)
Match Details
Melbourne Victory vs Central Coast Mariners
Sunday, March 19th
Kick-off: 5pm AEDT
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Broadcast: The match will be broadcast live on 10Bold and Paramount+
