A-League – Match Preview – Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners

A-League – Match Preview – Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners

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In the last game of 2015 for Sydney, Graham Arnold’s men will be looking to consolidate a spot in the top four with a win against the free-falling Mariners.

Sydney come into the match with only one win in their last five matches, with a last-minute Roy Krishna equaliser cancelling out Filip Holosko’s opener and leaving Sydney with their fifth draw of the season. With an official reprimand also heading the way of Sydney manager Graham Arnold for his remarks in the aftermath of the side’s 2-1 loss to Adelaide two weeks prior, the last few weeks have been tough for the side, yet a win could see the club catch up with the top three should results go their way.

However, the difficult stretch of results Sydney has found themselves in is nothing compared to the form of the last-placed Central Coast Mariners. With only one win this season, the Mariners are looking to make up ground and fast with a positive result against Sydney. Last round’s match against the Brisbane Roar saw the Mariners work valiantly for most of the match before a late Dimitrios Petratos goal stole all three points for the visitors.

The result left Central Coast five points adrift at the foot of the ladder and saw their losing streak continue to five games, equalling the current club record. Another loss to Sydney would see the record broken but it would also keep Sydney’s impressive winning streak against the club intact, which currently stands at four games.

Key Battle – Vedran Janjetovic vs Roy O’Donovan

When these two teams last met back in round four, it was O’Donovan who got the better of Janjetovic with the only goal going in the Mariners’ favour. With this return match being played in Sydney, it could be a different story altogether.

Janjetovic has been a rock for Sydney this season, with the goalkeeper doubling the rest of the league in home clean sheets with four. With Sydney boasting the best defence in the competition with only nine goals conceded, it is clear that whoever can get past Janjetovic will go a long way in winning the match for the Mariners.

And that is why it will most likely fall on O’Donovan to carry that torch. The Mariners’ top scorer with four goals, the bulk of the pressure to lift them out of their poor form will rely on the Irish striker. O’Donovan has been surprisingly clinical in front of goal, converting one every four chances, so if his side can create those chances then it is a safe bet to rely on O’Donovan to put one past the Sydney defence.

Team News

Sydney has something of a selection headache thanks to the suspension of Holsoko, while Shane Smeltz and Ali Abbas continue to be sidelined with injury. However, the side welcomes back Alex Gersbach from suspension and most importantly club captain Alex Brosque, who returns after missing the previous two matches with a hamstring injury. However, it seems likely that Brosque will play from the bench and expect either Andrew Hoole or Brandon O’Neill to start in the hole left by Holsoko. Manager Arnold has also seen fit to promote Robert Stambolziev from the reserves to provide some depth.

Meanwhile for the Mariners, they will see the return of Tomislav Uskok and Anthony Kalik from the reserves while they will miss midfielder Glenn Trifiro who is out for roughly a week with a back injury. Manager Tony Walmsley will most likely be looking to play the same side that just lost to Brisbane a week prior, with Uskok and Kalik making the bench. Fabio Ferreira is still recovering from injury, so expect him to feature off the bench.

SYDCCM

Head-to-Head

This will be the 32nd matchup between the two sides and it is fair to say that historically the two sides have been very even, with Sydney’s four-match winning streak pushing them ahead with 13 wins to the Mariners’ 11, with seven draws between the two sides. At home, Sydney have the upper hand, winning eight of the 16 matches played, with Central Coast taking the three points five times and both sides playing out a draw the remaining three times.

Previous Meeting

The two sides last played each other in round four in Gosford and saw Sydney extend their away winning streak to 10 in a row with a 3-1 win. Shane Smeltz opened the scoring for the Sky Blues after 35 minutes before O’Donovan equalised just two minutes later. However two yellow cards to Mariners midfielder Fitzgerald saw him sent off just before half time and the extra man eventually helped Sydney secure the win thanks to two goals in the 82nd and 88th minutes from Matt Simon.

Prediction

Both sides will be looking to end their year on a high note and while Central Coast showed a significant improvement last weekend against the Roar, it is too hard to pass up Sydney at home. The Sky Blues will be wanting to catch up on the top three and so Graham Arnold will know exactly what he wants from his players and in front of a home crowd on Boxing Day, it will be hard for them not to live up to it.

Sydney FC 3 Central Coast Mariners 1

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