Melbourne City will look to put a poor week behind them as they host the Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Key Battle – Anthony Caceres vs Erik Paartalu
The 23-year-old Caceres has begun season 11 of the A-League in blistering fashion. As a technically gifted, intelligent attacking-minded midfielder, he would have watched the Melbourne Derby wide-eyed at the amount of space Victory’s weapons were afforded in central areas.
Erik Paartalu’s role as screening-midfielder will be to stop the Mariners man from finding the available yards in which to create opportunities for forwards. A problem that the former Brisbane Roar man will have to contend with, however, is Caceres’ ability to operate in between the lines of midfield and attack, or from a deeper position.
This tactic is commonly used by versatile midfielders as a ploy to find space away from markers and Paartalu could have his work cut out for him, especially if the Mariners are allowed to move forward quickly in transition.
Team News
The biggest news from either camp is that of Mariners’ goalkeeper Liam Reddy’s indefinite suspension, after the 34-year-old’s criticism of the style that coach Tony Walmsley has been attempting to instil in the side and his team selections, preferring youth over experience.
“The Central Coast Mariners would like to inform Members, fans and the media that goalkeeper Liam Reddy will not be available for selection whilst the club addresses a series of off-field issues, in accordance with the FFA National Code of Conduct,” a statement from the club read.
PFA chief Adam Vivian provided a quick riposte to the news of Reddy’s exclusion from the squad.
“In an attempt to force Liam to leave on terms suitable to the club, the Mariners have threatened him with the prospect of training alone and have issued him with a second written breach notice, despite never having received a first,” he said.
Other than Reddy’s absence, it does not look as though Walmsley will alter with the squad in any drastic fashion. An admirable 2-1 loss away to Brisbane Roar suggested that the youthful set-up is the way forward, and if not for the brilliance of Brandon Borello, the Mariners would have left with a result.
For City, Corey Gameiro and David Williams have been named in the squad to face the Mariners, and should be expected to line-up alongside the impressive Bruno Fornaroli.
Coach John van’t Schip said that Michael Zullo and Robert Koren’s failure to travel to Perth for the FFA Cup semi-final was due to injury and all indications are that the pair will not feature this weekend. Paolo Retre similarly struggled against the Victory, but it is unlikely we will see debutant goalscorer Matthew Millar keep his spot after playing midweek.
Head-to-head
The Mariners’ record against City is commendable, remaining undefeated in the last nine fixtures – including four visits to AAMI Park.
Last season’s head-to-head results saw the ledger firmly tilted towards Central Coast, who won twice in Gosford without conceding a goal. These triumphs came after coming back from two goals down in Round six to hold City to a draw, featuring John Hutchinson’s thunderbolt equaliser which was late and memorable in equal measure.
Previous Meeting
Fabio Ferreira’s late goal settled the previous meeting between the two sides, coming in Round 20 of the 2014-15 season. It was the first match after Phil Moss was sacked as head coach of the Mariners after a poor run of results.
City’s woes away from home last season were epitomised in this fixture – creating little in attacking, only showing flashes of promise and eventually succumbing to defeat.
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Prediction
City will be eager to make up for their poor midweek showing in front of home supporters and need to make the most of this opportunity to record a first win of the season. The Mariners have potential if the in-form Ferreira can see enough of the ball, but there is too much on the line for van’t Schip’s men to give this one away.
Melbourne City 3 Central Coast 2
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