Match preview: Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners

Adelaide United will be hoping to keep in touch with the Hyundai A-League top four when they host lowly Central Coast Mariners on Sunday at Coopers Stadium.

The Reds picked up a well-deserved point from their 0-0 draw with league-leaders Perth Glory on Wednesday night and will expect to have too much quality for the Mariners on home turf.

Four points behind fourth-placed Melbourne City heading into Round 16, Marco Kurz’s side will view this is a huge opportunity as we approach the last third of the regular season.

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Craig Goodwin was the star when the Reds beat the Mariners 3-0 in Gosford earlier this season and the Socceroos winger has maintained that type of form all season.

For the Mariners, they head to the City of Churches after a narrow 1-0 loss to the Newcastle Jets in Wednesday night’s F3 Derby.

Only some wasteful finishing and some amazing goal-line clearances from Jets defenders prevented the Mariners getting something at McDonald Jones Stadium.

But the performance – after picking up a win and draw in the previous two matches – should ensure Central Coast arrive in Adelaide with plenty of confidence.

New Mariners signing Jem Karacan is unavailable for this clash, with the club hopeful he could make his debut against Melbourne Victory next weekend.

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Key Opta stats

  • Adelaide United are undefeated in their last five Hyundai A-League games against Central Coast Mariners (W4, D1), they have never previously gone longer without defeat against the Gosford in the competition.
  • The Mariners are winless in their last 18 league games away from home; only twice in Hyundai A-League history has any team gone longer without a win on the road (Melbourne City – 22 in January 2014 & Mariners – 22 in January 2016).
  • The Reds have conceded just 25% (4/16) of their goals in the first half this campaign, the lowest percentage of any team in the competition.

Ins and outs

Adelaide United squad: 1.Daniel MARGUŠ (gk), 2.Michael MARRONE, 3.Scott GALLOWAY, 4.Ryan STRAIN, 6.Vince LIA, 7.Ryan KITTO, 8.Isaías SÁNCHEZ (c), 10.Ken ILSØ, 11.Craig GOODWIN, 14.George BLACKWOOD, 16.Nathan KONSTANDOPOULOS, 17.Nikola MILEUSNIĆ, 20.Paul IZZO (gk), 22.Michael JAKOBSEN, 23.Jordan ELSEY, 26.Ben HALLORAN, 27.Louis D’ARRIGO, 32.Carlo ARMIENTO  **two to be omitted**

Ins: 32.Carlo ARMIENTO (promoted), 22.Michael JAKOBSEN (returns from suspension)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 9.Baba DIAWARA (knee), 18.Lachlan BROOK (knee), 33.Apostolos STAMATELOPOULOS (quad)

Central Coast Mariners squad: 1.Ben KENNEDY (gk), 2.Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITS, 3.Jack CLISBY, 6.Tom HIARIEJ, 7.Andrew HOOLE, 8.Michael McGLINCHEY, 11.Connor PAIN, 12.Adam PEARCE (gk), 13.Aiden O’NEILL, 15.Kye ROWLES, 16.Josh MACDONALD, 17.Peter KEKERIS, 18.Matt MILLAR, 19.Matt SIMON (c), 22.Jacob MELLING, 23.Mario SHABOW, 25.Jordan MURRAY, 26.Josh NISBET  **two to be omitted**

Ins: 19.Matt SIMON (return from suspension) & 23.Mario SHABOW (return from injury)
Outs: nil
Unavailable: 21.Corey GAMEIRO (calf) & 10.Tommy OAR (leg injury), 4.Jake McGING (hamstring)

Adelaide's Michael Jakobsen against Sydney FC.

How to watch

Tune in to FOX SPORTS 505 to catch the 6pm (AEDT) from Adelaide on Sunday. You can also stream the match on the MyFootball Live App, which is live, fast and data-free for Telstra mobile customers.

Tickets

CLICK HERE to secure your ticket at Coopers as the Reds and Mariners do battle for a vital three points on Sunday.

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