The Central Coast Mariners are hoping to celebrate Easter Sunday with three points and there aren’t many tougher challenges in the Hyundai A-League at the moment than taking on Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium. Let’s hear from Head Coach Tony Walmsley ahead of #ADLvCCM.
Welcomed selection headaches face Walmsley who has Luis Garcia and Mitch Austin available for selection after serving one-week suspensions.
The Mariners are full of confidence after pulling back a two-goal deficit against Sydney FC which saw Josh Rose stand out on the left wing, making team selection all the more difficult for Walmsley when assessing the return of two dangerous attacking assets.
Skipper, Nick Montgomery is still in doubt after picking up a minor calf injury against Sydney FC but will be given every chance to feature in South Australia against ‘The Reds’.
The hunger to succeed in the camp remains high and every player who dons the Yellow & Navy for the remaining three games will be determined to produce performances that give the passionate Mariners supporters something to cheer about.
Tony Walmsley
“Adelaide are a very good side and the challenge for us at this time of year is to keep going and really show some resolve and resilience. To go there and get a result would be a fantastic achievement and that’s what we’re setting ourselves up to do,” Walmsley said.
“Coming off a positive finish against Sydney FC I want to prove that we can sustain and repeat those levels of performances.
“We’ve got Mitch Austin & Luis Garcia available this week which is fantastic, so there’s a few selection headaches but they’re good ones to have because we need to keep everyone stimulated.
“The players are fighting for pride, they are really keen to show their capability and they’ve shown it in so many stages but it hasn’t been sustainable for long enough periods.
“We’re looking to maintain the levels we produced against Sydney in the second half because that was confidence boosting and it’s the first time in a long time the fans have roared and it was a beautiful feeling for everybody.
“You don’t want to be in a situation where you’re celebrating draws but a comeback from 2-0 down late in the game is a real tonic for everybody. We’ve got three games to go including a derby at home and we want to make sure we’re wired up for that derby at home and leave the fans with a fitting end to the season.
“For now, Adelaide away is a massive challenge and we will be asking the players to put in a massive shift.
Key stats
- Adelaide United has won six of their last eight Hyundai A-League matches against the Mariners, though they had lost nine matches on the trot prior to that.
- Having failed to score in their last two Hyundai A-League fixtures, the Reds will hope to avoid three straight games without a goal in a single season for the first time in their history.
- The Mariners have contested more aerial duels (561) than any other team so far this Hyundai A-League season, though they’ve won only 45.3% of them, the lowest percentage of any team.
Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk) (c), 2.Michael MARRONE, 3.Iacopo LA ROCCA, 4.Dylan McGOWAN, 6.Stefan MAUK, 7.PABLO SANCHEZ, 8.ISAIAS, 9.Sergio CIRIO, 10.Marcelo CARRUSCA, 11.Bruce DJITE, 12.Mark OCHIENG, 14.George MELLS, 15.Ben WARLAND, 16.Craig GOODWIN, 17.Mate DUGANDZIC, 20.John HALL (gk), 23.Jordan ELSEY, 24.Bruce KAMAU
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 7.PABLO SANCHEZ (returns from injury), 10.Marcelo CARRUSCA (returns from injury), 23.Jordan ELSEY (returns from suspension)
Outs: 25.Ruon TONGYIK (omitted)
Unavailable: 19.Eli BABALJ (knee – season), 21.Tarek ELRICH (groin – 3-4 weeks)
Central Coast Mariners squad: 1.Paul IZZO (gk), 3.Josh ROSE, 4.Jacob POSCOLIERO, 5.Harry ASCROFT, 6.Mitch AUSTIN, 7.Fabio FERREIRA, 8.Nick MONTGOMERY (c), 9.Roy O’DONOVAN, 10.Luis GARCIA, 12.Trent BUHAGIAR, 15.Brad McDONALD, 16.Liam ROSE, 17.Francesco STELLA, 19.Josh BINGHAM, 21.Michael NEILL, 22.Jake McGING, 28.Matthew FLETCHER, 30.Adam PEARCE (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 6.Mitch AUSTIN (return from suspension), 10.Luis GARCIA (return from suspension), 30.Adam PEARCE (gk) (promoted)
Outs: 25.Adam BERRY (knee – 1 week), 40.Thomas Heward-Belle (gk) (omitted)
Unavailable: 2.Storm ROUX (fractured fibula – season), 23.Tomislav USKOK (virus – 1 week)
FORM LINES
Adelaide United: WWWLD
Central Coast Mariners: LLLLD
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
Kick-Off: 4:30 PM (Local) (5:00 PM (AEDT))
Referee: Stephen Lucas
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505
Radio Broadcast: Coast FM 96.3 (Central Coast).
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #ADLvCCM
