Saturday’s second A-League Round 9 match is between Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 7.45pm with the game to be played at Bluetongue Stadium. The home team Central Coast Mariners are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC.

Round: Round 9, Saturday December 7 at 7.45pm AEDT
Stadium: Bluetongue Stadium
Head to head: Played: 25, Wins: Mariners 8, Sky Blues 10, Draws: 7
Previous encounter: Sky Blues 2-0 Mariners, March 9 2013

Central Coast Mariners $1.70 vs Sydney FC $5.00 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Central Coast Mariners $1.62 vs Sydney FC $5.25 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Central Coast Mariners	1.70	1.65	1.62	1.65	1.70	1.67
Draw	3.60	3.50	3.65	3.50	3.60	3.75
Sydney FC	5.00	5.00	5.25	5.00	5.00	5.00

Teams:

Central Coast Mariners:
1. Justin PASFIELD (GK), 2. Daniel MCBREEN, 3. Joshua ROSE, 4. Marcel SEIP, 5. Zachary ANDERSON, 6. Brent GRIFFITHS, 7. John HUTCHINSON (C), 8. Nick MONTGOMERY, 9. Mitchell DUKE, 10. Marcos FLORES, 11. Nick FITZGERALD, 12. Liam REDDY, 14. Michael MCGLINCHEY, 15. Storm ROUX, 16. Trent SAINSBURY, 17. Anthony CACERES, 19. Matt SIMON, 21. Mile STERJOVSKI *two to be omitted*
Ins: 5. Zachary ANDERSON (promoted), 11. Nick FITZGERALD (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 22. Tom SLATER (back – 2 weeks)

Sydney FC:
1.Ivan NECEVSKI (go), 2.Seb RYALL, 4.Ranko DESPOTOVIC, 5.Matt JURMAN, 6.Nikola PETKOVIC, 8. Pedj BOJIC, 11.Richard GARCIA, 14.Mitch MALLIA, 15.Terry MCFLYNN, 16.Joel CHIANESE, 19.Nicky CARLE, 20.Vedran JANJETOVIC (go), 21.Yairo YAU, 22.Ali ABBAS, 27.Christopher NAUMOFF, 28.Matt THOMPSON, 29.Alec UROSEVSKI, 34. Aaron CALVER
***Two to be omitted***
Ins: 8. Pedj BOJIC (return from suspension), 14. Mitch MALLIA (promoted), 29. Alec UROSEVSKI (promoted)
Outs: 10.Alessandro DEL PIERO (c) (1 week – hamstring)
Unavailable: Rhyan GRANT (knee – season), Peter TRIANTIS (groin – indefinite), Terry ANTONIS (thigh – indefinite), Tiago Calvano (Suspended – 7 matches), Brett EMERTON (1 week – calf)

Preview:

Form:

Past five matches:

Mariners: DWLDW

Sky Blues: WWWWD

The Game:

Few would have expected Sydney to be sitting higher than Central Coast on the table almost a third of the way into the season, but four consecutive wins have lifted the Sky Blues into third. Frank Farina’s men continue to find a way to claim wins and must be given credit for the way they have turned their season around after a slow start. The Mariners have struggled to get going, but have lost just once in seven. Phil Moss’ men were perhaps fortunate to escape with a point in their 0-0 draw against the Melbourne Victory last time out and really need to start picking up points and building momentum as the campaign goes on.

The big issue:

Mariners – getting more out of their attack after scoring just eight goals in seven games this season. Moss has plenty of talent at his disposal, but just who starts and in which position remains a big question. Marcos Flores leads the Mariners’ goalscoring with three penalties, perhaps highlighting the problem. Michael McGlinchey, Mitchell Duke, Daniel McBreen, Matt Simon and Mile Sterjovski are all talented players, but Moss needs to find his best combinations and see if they can start finding the net as regularly as the Mariners need.

Sky Blues – producing their best without the injured Alessandro Del Piero. The Italian star has been ruled out of the encounter after hurting his hamstring in their win over the Newcastle Jets. Sydney got the job done without their marquee man after his substitution, but are likely to find it more difficult against the Mariners. Whether Farina’s side can cover for Del Piero’s creativity and influence remains to be seen, despite showing they are capable of scoring without the veteran.

The game breaker:

Michael McGlinchey – the New Zealand international may have been pushed out wide to accommodate the arrival of Flores, but he can still break games open. With the Mariners needing goals, McGlinchey looks the most likely candidate to step up and take the game to the Sky Blues with either a strike or an assist. He would fancy his chances against either Sebastian Ryall or Ali Abbas should they start in the full-back positions for Sydney.

Prediction: Mariners 2-1 Sky Blues

Central Coast need a win to kick-start their season and a clash at home to Sydney shapes as a perfect opportunity. The Sky Blues ended their long wait for an away win with a victory against Melbourne Heart in November, but a trip to Bluetongue Stadium is a much bigger test. Sydney’s defence will be tested by the Mariners, who need to start scoring, and if the hosts do net first – Farina’s men will find it tough to leave with anything.

Source: www.footballaustralia.com.au