Round 26 kicks off in Wellington as the Phoenix welcome the Central Coast to Westpac Stadium. With a home final secured for Ernie Merrick, the team will be looking to push for a top two finish with a win against the Mariners.
Wellington have experienced a small slump in form of late, failing to score in their last three matches and conceding six goals in that same time. After back to back 3-0 defeats, to Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory respectively, the Phoenix travelled to AAMI Park to take on Melbourne City in an entertaining 0-0 draw. Despite creating plenty of chances, Wellington failed to get onto the scoresheet, something they will want to rectify tomorrow night.
Central Coast’s recent matches have not been too impressive results-wise, but steadily improving performances have been enough to secure interim coach Tony Walmsley a permanent gig for next season. A 2-1 loss to the Victory in Melbourne preceded a 6-1 demolition at the hands of Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium. Their most recent fixture saw the team record a 1-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers. Josh Rose’s 2nd minute goal was enough to secure the result in captain John Hutchinson’s final home game for the club.
Key battle – Anthony Caceres v Albert Riera
Anthony Caceres has been one of the standouts this season for the Mariners. A vital part of the team’s attack, he will come up against Albert Riera. The Spaniard has been important for the Phoenix, adding the extra cover in defence and the marshal of the midfield. Riera will need to contain Caceres and force the opposition to create opportunities through other players in order to keep the unpredictable Mariners at bay.
[interaction id=”552f07277fdf079b4e3d7599″]
Team news
After two weeks out with a quad strain Ben Sigmund should return to the starting XI in place of Michael Boxall. The midfield and forward line are unlikely to change.
Wellington Phoenix expected XI: Moss; Durante, Fenton, Sigmund, Muscat; Riera, Bonevacia, Rodriguez; Burns, Krishna, McGlinchey
The Mariners should see Jacob Poscoliero become available for selection after injury. An unchanged line-up to the one which beat Western Sydney is likely.
Central Coast Mariners expected XI: Reddy; Rose, Bosnar, Anderson, Roux; Caceres, Hutchinson, Cernak; Ferreira, Montgomery, Kalik
Head-to-head
The Mariners lead the head to head with 11 wins to Wellington’s seven with five draws. Central Coast have a great record in Wellington as well, with five wins, three losses and four draws at Westpac Stadium.
Previous meeting
The last time these sides met was a 1-1 draw in Wellington in December. Matt Simon opened the scoring in the 40th minute, against the run of play, after Glen Moss was unable to cleanly save Nick Fitzgerald’s shot. Roy Krishna then equalised late in the second half, catching the Mariners defence out and scoring.
https://youtu.be/LIoFVe0Bm1o
Prediction
This match has one side who needs to win to secure a desirable place on the table for finals football and another who needs to win to continue to restore some pride after a less than impressive season. Although the Mariners have had plenty of success at the Phoenix’s home ground, their last win at the venue came in November 2012. Wellington need the three points to remain in contention for that top two finish. Central Coast will be difficult to breakdown but the Phoenix have more than enough attacking quality to penetrate the defence and score.
Wellington Phoenix 2 Central Coast Mariners 1
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
