Central Coast Mariners boss Mike Mulvey knows his side are going to have to show real mental resolve when they visit Perth Glory on Sunday.
The travelling side are up against the odds at nib Stadium after a heavy loss to Melbourne Victory left them bottom of the table and winless.
MATCH PREVIEW: Perth Glory v Central Coast Mariners
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In contrast, Perth head into the rebel Female Football Round top of the Hyundai A-League with three wins and a draw, brimming with confidence from their 2-0 victory at Adelaide United before the international break.
Mulvey certainly knows that his side are in for a tough encounter when they meet Tony Popovic’s men, but hopes they can rise to the challenge.
He said: “I’ve coached against Tony before. His teams are always pretty resilient, tough, strong, organised and I don’t expect anything different.
“Perth Glory has always been a very good club in the A-League and going over there is never easy but we need to go there and show some real mental capacity and deal with whatever is thrown at us.
As the boys boarded the bus, Head Coach Mike Mulvey previewed Sunday's clash with @PerthGloryFC. #PERvCCM Preview ? https://t.co/xw0GN6QQj5 pic.twitter.com/B06wjI3Twk
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) November 23, 2018
“It’s up to the players, we need to go there and perform.”
The Mariners welcome back Matt Simon and Mulvey knows how important his captain’s leadership skills will be in Western Australia.
“One of the main reasons we brought Matt back to the squad was for his leadership,” he added.
“Leadership is a word that’s banded around and people don’t really understand too much about what it means at times.
“He certainly does and he leads by example. He’s a great guy around the group and we definitely missed him in Melbourne, there’s no question about that.”
Look who's back… 👀
Squad News: Round 5 v @PerthGloryFC https://t.co/53qp1mBb3z #CCMFC #PERvCCM pic.twitter.com/gHOR6kk6o5
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) November 22, 2018
