Thursday’s only A-League Round 26 match is between Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 9.30pm AEDT with the game to be played at nib Stadium. The away team Central Coast Mariners are the favourites for the match. View our live scores and teams for the game between Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners.

Round: Round 26, Saturday April 5 at 9.30pm AEDT.
Stadium: nib Stadium
Head to head: Played: 27, Wins: Glory 5, Mariners 17, Draws: 5
Previous encounter: Mariners 2-1 Glory, December 31 2013

Odds Comparison:

Perth Glory	2.90	3.00	2.90	3.00	2.90	3.00
Draw	3.40	3.40	3.25	3.40	3.40	3.25
Central Coast Mariners	2.35	2.30	2.35	2.30	2.35	2.30

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Preview:

The Glory take on the Mariners on Saturday night, 9.30PM at nib Stadium.  With the Mariners currently sitting in second ladder position and the Glory in 10th, there is a big gap between these two sides.  While Central Coast have a good chance to make second place their own with a win here, the Glory can only  hope to avoid the wooden spoon.

The Mariners have had a mixed season so far, losing a number of players and a coach in late-2013 yet going on to perform well.  With only a single point separating the Mariners and Western Sydney going into this game, and just two regular season games left to play, the Mariners will be extra keen to take this opportunity against a struggling Perth outfit.

Teams:

Perth Glory Squad:
2.Jack CLISBY, 3. Brandon O’NEILL, 4. Ryan EDWARDS 5. Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 6. Cameron Edwards, 7. Jacob BURNS, 8. Nebojsa MARINKOVIC,10. Jamie MACLAREN, 14. Steven McGARRY, 16.Sidnei SCIOLA MORAES 17. Chris HAROLD, 18. Jack DUNCAN(GK), 19. Josh RISDON, 20. Danny De Silva, 23. Michael THWAITE, 28. Darvydas SERNAS, 36. William GALLAS, 39. Luke RADONICH (GK)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 6. Cameron Edwards (promoted) 20. Danny De Silva (promoted)
Outs: None
Unavailable: Travis DODD (knee – indefinite), Scott JAMIESON (Achilles – indefinite), Shane SMELTZ (groin- 1 week)

Central Coast Mariners squad:
1.Justin PASFIELD (Gk), 3.Joshua ROSE, 5.Zac ANDERSON, 6.Brent GRIFFITHS, 7.John HUTCHINSON (C), 8.Nick MONTGOMERY, 9.Mitchell DUKE, 11.Nick FITZGERALD, 12.Liam REDDY (Gk), 15.Storm ROUX, 17.Anthony CACERES, 19.Matt SIMON, 20.Bernie IBINI, 21.Mile STERJOVSKI, 25.Eddy BOSNAR, 26.Kim SEUNG-YONG, 28.Glen TRIFIRO
**One to be omitted**
Ins: 28.Glen TRIFIRO (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 10. Marcos FLORES (knee – season), 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY (on loan – Vegalta Sendai), 18. Michael NEILL (knee – season), 23. Adam KWASNIK (knee – season)

News:

Season nine of the Hyundai A-League has undoubtedly been one of the most exciting and hotly contested campaigns we’ve seen in the competition’s history. With just two rounds to go, eight teams still harbour designs on winning the Championship and there’s no telling just how the top six will look come the end of the regular season.

While the Roar have already claimed the Premiers Plate and sit a whopping 12 points clear at the summit, the race for second – and that coveted second chance is on in earnest. Just two points separates the Mariners, Wanderers, Adelaide and Victory and with all but the Reds having to juggle Asian Champions League commitments who knows how the teams will finish the season.

Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets are seemingly jostling for sixth spot to scrape into the finals and with both teams having good records on the road they’ll be confident of springing an upset in the finals if they can make it. However don’t discount Wellington who are still in with a chance but they’ll need to win both their remaining matches and rely on other results to go their way.

At the bottom of the ladder Heart and Glory look set to battle it out for the unenviable tag of wooden-spooners. Both sides have definitely had their moments this season but have come up just short. With the two teams only separated by goal difference they’ll both be desperate to pick up some more points over the final two rounds.

So just who will make the top six?

Here’s a chance to look into your crystal ball and tell us who you think will feature at the business end of the season by getting involved in the Hyundai A-League Finals Predictor.

The Predictor simply involves predicting and then submitting your scores for the remaining games of the season up to the final game of Round 27.

Then based on your predictions, the predictor will calculate who will be in your top six and what order the teams will be in heading into the finals series.

Ok, admittedly the process seems simple enough but with the way results have unfolded so far this season and with the congestion of the table, even the best gypsies in the business would be hard pressed to get it right.

Do you go for a few upsets in the run in to the finals or do you expect the clubs leading the race to consolidate their positions?

Whatever you end up predicting, get your friends involved by sharing your prediction on social media and see who is the oracle in your group when it comes to knowing your Hyundai A-League. May the force be with you.