It is hard to see a weakened Mariners outfit scoring more than once in China, but much depends on what kind of form the hosts are in.
It is hard to see a weakened Mariners outfit scoring more than once in China, but much depends on what kind of form the hosts are in.
Date: Tuesday, April 9 2013
Kick-off: , 7.30pm local, 9.30pm AEST
Venue: Guiyang Olympic Sports Center, Guiyang
Head-to-head:
Played: 1, Wins: Mariners 1, Guizhou Renhe 0, Draws: 0
Form:
Past five matches:
Mariners: WWWWL
Guizhou Renhe: LWDDL
The Game
Central Coast will be eyeing a second straight AFC Champions League win over Guizhou Renhe at the Guiyang Olympic Sports Center. If they are to secure victory, it will need to come from a vastly different side to the one who recorded a 2-1 win at Bluetongue Stadium on Wednesday night.
Preparing for their semi-final against Melbourne Victory on Sunday, the Mariners will take a weaker outfit to China for the Group H clash. Certain to be missing are the likes of Patrick Zwaanswijk, Pedj Bojic, Josh Rose, Michael McGlinchey, Nick Montgomery and Daniel McBreen, who have stayed in Australia.
Graham Arnold’s men sit second in Group H on four points – two clear of the third-placed Suwon Bluewings – and a draw would be a decent result away from home.
They take on a Guizhou Renhe outfit which is in turmoil. Guizhou postponed their Chinese Super League game against Guangzhou Evergrande due to their busy schedule and – according to local reports – there are serious problems in the dressing room.
Former Manchester City defender Sun Jihai, 35, was accused of having more power than interim coach Gong Lei, who may have lost the players. The reports come at a terrible time for Guizhou, who need to win their two remaining home matches to have any chance of keeping their Asian campaign alive.
The Big Issue
Mariners: Can a weakened Central Coast squad battle to grab a point in China? The Mariners have struggled in Asia – this is their third campaign in the competition – and particularly away from home. In seven trips, the Mariners have lost five times and drawn the other two, and have a goal difference of -12.
Being without several of their best players makes it even tougher, but they will rarely get a better chance with Guizhou Renhe struggling and also facing problems off the field.
Guizhou Renhe: Off-field problems can translate to major issues on the park and perhaps more will be revealed about what is happening when Guizhou Renhe take the field again.
They could come out firing and take it to the Mariners, but if they are disinterested, their AFC Champions League campaign will be over. With Zvjezdan Misimovic and Zlatan Muslimovic in their squad, the quality is there for them to perform strongly at home.
The Gamebreaker
Bernie Ibini: The Nigeria-born attacker is often frustrating to watch, but his pace is likely to be crucial in a match which could see the Mariners trying to play on the counter-attack.
Ibini is inconsistent but his best is very good, enough to see him trial with Belgian giants Club Brugge earlier this season. His finishing needs work and he must take any chance he gets in China, with the 20-year-old capable of causing Guizhou Renhe all sorts of problems.
Prediction: Guizhou Renhe 1-1 Mariners
It is hard to see a weakened Mariners outfit scoring more than once in China, but much depends on what kind of form the hosts are in. If Muslimovic had opened the scoring in a one-on-one with Ryan in Gosford, it would have been a far different encounter before the Mariners improved in the second half.
Central Coast needed goals from defenders Bojic and Sainsbury to win at home and with their attacking third significantly weaker this time around, they will again find it tough. A draw would be a solid result for the Mariners ahead of their A-League final and Arnold’s side should be good enough to pick up a point.
