Industree Group Stadium will play host to Saturday's A-League game between Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory. The game kicks off at 7:45 pm with Central Coast Mariners heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Central Coast Mariners vs. Melbourne Victory game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday May 25, 2024 at 7:45 pm

Where: Industree Group Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory Odds

Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory Preview

Central Coast Mariners

It would have been more than fair to expect a slight drop off from the Mariners in season 2023/24.

After all, their Grand Final winning squad from the season prior was dismantled, including the departure of head coach Nick Montgomery and star striker Jason Cummings.

But new coach Mark Jackson came in and thanks to some shrewd pieces of business, including the signing of defender Mikael Doka and bringing former Mariners forward Alou Kuol into the mix ensured they would remain competitive.

Even with the added burden of playing in the AFC Cup, featuring trips to places such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and India, the Mariners still found a way.

It was a rough start to the season, losing their first four domestic matches but after the November international break, they were almost unstoppable on their way to the Premiers Plate.

Their only two defeats in that run came at the hands of Sydney FC, taking 55 points from 23 matches.

After knocking off the Sky Blues over two hotly contested matches in the Semi Final, a home Grand Final now awaits the Mariners with a boisterous crowd at their backs.

Melbourne Victory

Getting a true read on Melbourne Victory is almost impossible, at times they look like a truly elite team and at others, completely bereft of an identity.

They started off the season with a 15 game unbeaten streak, however nine of those were draws which prevented them from mounting a proper title charge.

However their ability to grind out results even when not playing at their best afforded them a bit of freedom and helped guide them into a third place finish.

That produced an Elimination Final against local rivals Melbourne City that was a tenacious affair and unsurprisingly it needed penalties to split the two teams.

After taking out the derby, the Victory faced the daunting prospect of a two-legged Semi Final against Wellington, and managed to survive some late drama at the Cake Tin to advance to the club’s seventh Grand Final.

Best Bets

While the Mariners’ 6-1 win last season was remarkable in its own right, another one sided affair does not look like materialising in this one given neither team has a lot of blowouts on their resume.

In fact, all three of the Victory’s finals matches have finished level after 90 minutes and been either 1-1 or 0-0 draws.

Only four of their regular season matches finished with a margin greater than one goal and the last time that happened was on December 30 against Adelaide United.

Meanwhile, the Mariners are going to be more than happy to play down to the Victory and the unders certainly look to be in play, with two of the three regular season meetings having two or fewer goals.

And while the Victory dictating the terms of this match might suit their approach, the Mariners have shown the ability to win in multiple different styles.

We need only to look at their AFC Cup Final triumph where Alou Kuol broke the deadlock in the 84^th minute to show they can win ugly.

When a team only loses two league matches in the space of six months, they are doing something right.

At home, in front of their expectant fans, I have to take the Mariners to lift the trophy affectionately known as the toilet seat.

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Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory Tip