Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar will be playing for pride on Friday night (kick off 7.50pm AEDT) as they both seek a boost in their battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
Mike Mulvey meets his former employers for the third time this term and does so in the relative afterglow of a morale-boosting 1-1 draw away to Sydney FC.
Aiden O’Neill’s third Hyundai A-League goal, the performances of fellow loanees Sam Graham and Stephen Mallon, and Ben Kennedy’s return to form were all welcome positives to take from a resilient showing at Leichhardt Oval.
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Another morale booster could be on the cards against a Roar outfit which will be stinging from a 4-0 hiding at the hands of Perth Glory.
Having overcome the Sky Blues in admirable style the previous week, Darren Davies’ side came thudding back to reality at HBF Park as they struggled to compete against the league leaders.
Brisbane snatched a point on their last trip to Gosford in January and might well accept a repeat in order to maintain the five-point gap they have on the bottom-placed Mariners.
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Key Opta stats
- Central Coast Mariners haven’t won a Hyundai A-League game against Brisbane Roar at Central Coast Stadium since March 2013; they’ve scored just three goals across their last six such fixtures.
- Brisbane Roar have conceded four goals in each of their last two Hyundai A-League games away from home and are one of just two teams (along with the Mariners) yet to pick up an away win this season.
- Roar’s Henrique has scored seven goals against the Mariners in the Hyundai A-League. Only against Perth Glory has he scored more (eight).
Ins and outs
Central Coast Mariners squad: 1.Ben KENNEDY (gk), 2.Jonathan ASPROPOTAMITS, 3.Jack CLISBY, 7.Andrew HOOLE, 8.Michael McGLINCHEY, 11.Connor PAIN, 13.Aiden O’NEILL, 15.Kye ROWLES, 18.Matt MILLAR, 19.Matt SIMON (c), 22.Jacob MELLING, 23.Mario SHABOW, 24.Joe GAUCI (gk), 25.Jordan MURRAY, 28.Sam GRAHAM, 29.Stephen MALLON, 68.Jem KARACAN
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 15.Kye ROWLES (return from suspension), 23.Mario SHABOW (return from injury), 24.Joe GAUCI (gk) (promoted), 25.Jordan MURRAY (promoted)
Outs: 6.Tom HIARIEJ (groin injury) 10.Tommy OAR (knee inury), 12.Adam PEARCE (gk) (omitted)
Unavailable: 21.Corey GAMEIRO (calf) & 4.Jake McGING (hamstring)
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Brendan WHITE (gk), 2.Dane INGHAM, 4.Daniel BOWLES, 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN, 8.Jacob PEPPER, 11.Eric BAUTHEAC, 12.Ruon TONGYIK, 14.Alex LOPEZ, 15.Stefan NIGRO, 16.Charles LOKOLI-NGOY, 17.Matt MCKAY (c), 21.Jamie YOUNG, 22.Tobias MIKKELSEN, 23.Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 26.Nicholas D’AGOSTINO, 33.HENRIQUE, 36.Daniel LECK, 38.Izaack POWELL **two to be omitted**
Ins: 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN (returns from injury), 14 Alex LOPEZ (returns from suspension), 16.Charles LOKOLI-NGOY (promoted), 21.Jamie YOUNG (returns from suspension), 38.Izaack POWELL (promoted)
Outs: 18.Joe CALETTI (not selected), 31.Macklin FREKE (not selected), 35.Jay BARNETT (not selected)
Unavailable: 3.Luke DEVERE (knee),10.Brett HOLMAN (knee), 13.Stefan MAUK (groin), 19.Jack HINGERT (knee), 24.Connor O’Toole (broken leg)
How to watch
Find out if the Mariners can maintain momentum or whether Roar will rebound at 7:50pm (AEDT) on FOX SPORTS 505. You can also stream the match on the MyFootball Live App, live, fast and data-free for Telstra mobile customers, or via Kayo Sports.
Tickets
HEAD HERE for tickets to see ex-Roar boss Mulvey and his Mariners attempt to close the gap to Brisbane at Central Coast Stadium.
Tipping
