Saturday’s third 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 preview 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

Perth Glory $2.90 vs Central Coast Mariners $2.35 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Perth Glory $2.90 vs Central Coast Mariners $2.35 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

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.

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)

Preview:

Form:
Past five matches:
Glory: WLLDL
Mariners: WWWLW

The Game:

Central Coast have a massive chance to consolidate second place ahead of a trip to struggling Perth on Saturday. Despite losing several players mid-season, and their coach in late 2013, the Mariners continue to perform strongly. The champions are a point ahead of Western Sydney with two regular-season games remaining. Phil Moss will be eager to see his side claim a win over Perth to close in on a place in the semi-finals. They come into the clash on the back of a victory in the AFC Champions League, but meet a Glory side who finally ended a 10-match winless run by beating Newcastle last time out.

The big issue:

Glory – whether Kenny Lowe’s men have the goals in them to upset the Mariners and dent their chances of a second-place finish. With just 24 goals in 25 games, Perth have easily the league’s worst attack. A trio of teams with 30 are next, with the Glory struggling to find the net regularly this season. Shane Smeltz has only scored four times to be their leading goalscorer.

Mariners – how long can the Mariners continue their hot run of form? Moss’ side have won five of their past six in all competitions, topping Group F in Asia and closing in on second place domestically. Central Coast have been far from the league’s most entertaining team, but they have been getting the job done. Results are about all that matters at this time of the season and another win would be a massive boost for the Mariners.

The game breaker:

Bernie Ibini – the exciting attacker has been a key reason for the Mariners’ winning run. Ibini scored late winners against both Western Sydney and Melbourne Heart in two important victories for Moss’ men. Given a start in the win over Beijing Guoan, Ibini was again threatening with his speed and directness. His hot run of form could be what the Mariners need to extend their run and be a major threat in the finals.

 Source: www.footballaustralia.com.au