The first game on Friday for A-League Round 25 is between Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney Wanderers. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 5.30pm with the game to be played at Central Coast Stadium. The favourite for the match is away team Western Sydney Wanderers. View our preview and teams for the game between Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney Wanderers.

Round: Round 25, Saturday March 29 at 5.30pm AEDT.
Stadium: Central Coast Stadium
Head to head: Played: 6, Wins: Mariners 2, Wanderers 2, Draws: 2
Previous encounter: Wanderers 2-0 Mariners, December 23 2013

Central Coast Mariners $2.90 vs Western Sydney Wanderers $2.37 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Central Coast Mariners $2.88 vs Western Sydney Wanderers $2.38 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Central Coast Mariners	2.90	2.60	2.90	2.60	2.90	2.88
Draw	3.30	3.35	3.20	3.35	3.30	3.25
Western Sydney Wanderers	2.37	2.60	2.35	2.60	2.37	2.38

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

Teams:

Central Coast Mariners Squad:
1.Justin PASFIELD (Gk), 3.Joshua ROSE, 4.Marcel SEIP, 5.Zachary ANDERSON, 7.John HUTCHINSON (C), 8.Nick MONTGOMERY, 9.Mitchell DUKE, 11.Nick FITZGERALD, 12.Liam REDDY (Gk), 15.Storm ROUX, 17.Anthony CACERES, 19.Mitchell DUKE, 20.Bernie IBINI, 21.Mile STERJOVSKI, 25.Eddy BOSNAR, 26.KIM Seung-yong, 27.Isaka CERNAK, 28.Glen TRIFIRO
**Two to be omitted**
Ins: 27.Isaka CERNAK (promoted), 28.Glen TRIFIRO (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 10.Marcos FLORES (knee – season), 13.Hayden MORTON (thigh – 1 week), 14.Michael MCGLINCHEY (on loan – Vegalta Sendai), 18.Michael NEILL (knee – season), 23 Adam KWASNIK (knee – season)

Western Sydney Wanderers squad:
1.Ante COVIC (gk), 2.Shannon COLE, 4.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 5.Michael BEAUCHAMP (c), 6.Jerome POLENZ, 7.Labinot HALITI 8.Mateo POLJAK, 9.Tomi JURIC, 10.Aaron MOOY, 11.Brendon SANTALAB, 13.Matthew SPIRANOVIC, 14.Kwabena APPIAH, 17.Youssouf HERSI, 18.Iacopo LA ROCCA, 19.Mark BRIDGE, 20.Jerrad TYSON (gk), 21.Shinji ONO, 22. Dean HEFFERNAN
**Two to be omitted**
Ins: 5.Michael BEAUCHAMP (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 3.Adam D’APUZZO (groin – 2 weeks), 12.Tahj MINNIECON (hip – indefinite), 34.Golgol MEBRAHTU (knee – indefinite)

Preview:

Form:
Past five matches:
Mariners: WWLWL
Wanderers: WDLLW

The Game:

Two teams back in form, already with plenty of history and keen to claim a mental edge ahead of any potential meetings in the finals. A very tasty encounter.

Saturday afternoon’s replay of last season’s A-League Grand Final shapes as an incredibly important game for both Central Coast Mariners and Western Sydney Wanderers. The reigning champions will host the Wanderers knowing anything less than victory could see them sucked back towards the brink of the top six as they have only a two-point gap on fifth-placed Adelaide United, while Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC are four points adrift of the Mariners. With three wins in their past four matches in all competitions, Central Coast are improving at the right point of the campaign.

Western Sydney have also found some form with three wins and a draw in their past four games. Tony Popovic’s men crushed bottom club Perth Glory 3-0 last week and, if they knock off the Mariners, they will take a significant step towards clinching second spot in the table. The Wanderers sit second heading into Round 25 with a two-point lead on third-placed Melbourne Victory and the Mariners. The Wanderers have not lost to Central Coast since the 2013 Grand Final with the first encounter this season ending in a draw before Western Sydney won the second fixture 2-0.

The big issue:

Mariners  – After losing every game they played in February, Phil Moss’ Central Coast have triumphed in four of six matches this month. But in a worry for Moss, the Mariners have conceded in every one of those games. The Gosford-based outfit have always prided themselves on a strong defence but have lapsed in that area this season. Can they find a way to claim a clean sheet against one of the lowest-scoring teams in the A-League?

Wanderers – On the way to lifting the Premier’s Plate in their inaugural season, Western Sydney scored 41 goals in 27 games. With three games remaining this season, the Wanderers have only managed 29 goals with only Central Coast (28) below them. Can Popovic’s men score enough goals to go one better this season and claim the championship? Considering Western Sydney concede a goal every game on average, they need to show they have to firepower to beat a top-four side before the finals begin next month.

The game breaker:

Tomi Juric – At the end of last season, it was widely agreed that Western Sydney needed a top-line centre forward to replace Dino Kresinger. Juric was brought in but his impact has been stunted by injuries. Despite missing nine A-League games, Juric has notched seven goals, with the last of them coming against Perth last week. The 22-year-old striker’s size and nose for goal will make him a handful  for the Mariners’ defenders and he looks set for a strong finish to the campaign.

Source: www.footballaustralia.com.au/aleague