Sunday’s first A-League Round 24 match is between Melbourne Heart and Central Coast Mariners. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 3pm with the game to be played at AAMI Park. The home team Melbourne Heart are the favourites for the match. View our live scores and teams for the game between Melbourne Heart and Central Coast Mariners.

Round: Round 24, Sunday, March 23 at 3pm AEDT.
Stadium: AAMI Park
Head to head: Played: 11 – Heart 1, Mariners 7, Drawn: 3
Previous encounter: Mariners 0-0 Heart, January 5 2014

[iframe_loader width=”690″ height=”530″ src=”https://www.sportsnews.com.au/soccer/match.php?id=930009″]

Odds Comparison:

Melbourne Heart	1.83	1.80	1.77	1.80	1.83	1.80
Draw	3.70	3.65	3.55	3.65	3.70	3.60
Central Coast Mariners	4.00	4.25	4.25	4.25	4.00	4.00

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

Preview:

The Heart play the Central Coast on Sunday, 3.00PM at AAMI Park.  While this will be a tight contest, the Heart will go into this game as favourites against  the fourth placed Mariners.  With four wins in their last six matches, the Melbourne Heart have been in good form since John van’t Schip’s reappointment as manager.

The Mariners will not be easy to beat, however, with momentum on their side after a derby win against the Jets last week and a recent win in the Asian Champions League against Fukashima.  The Mariners are also building confidence at the moment under Phil Moss, and seem to be playing with belief in themselves again.  If the Heart want to make the finals this year, they really need the three points this weekend, because with only a month left of regular games, time is running out.

Teams:

Melbourne Heart FC squad:
1.Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 3.Robbie WIELAERT, 4.Orlando ENGELAAR, 6.Patrick GERHARDT, 7.Iain RAMSAY, 8.Massimo MURDOCCA, 10.Harry KEWELL (C), 13.Jonatan GERMANO, 15.David WILLIAMS, 16.Aziz BEHICH, 17.Jason HOFFMAN, 18.David VRANKOVIC, 19.Benjamin GARUCCIO, 20.Tando VELAPHI (GK), 21.Stefan MAUK, 22.Nicholas KALMAR, 23.Mate DUGANDZIC, 24.Patrick KISNORBO.
***Two to be omitted***
Ins: 16. Aziz BEHICH (promoted), 18.David VRANKOVIC (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil

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.Matt SIMON, 20.Bernie IBINI, 21.Mile STERJOVSKI, 25.Eddy BOSNAR, 26.Kim SEUNG-YONG, 28.Glen TRIFIRO.
**one to be added**
Ins: 17.Anthony CACERES (returns from injury)
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)

News:

With John van’ t Schip’s services secured and Manchester City running the show behind the scenes, Melbourne Heart and the A-League in general is set to benefit from unparalleled exposure to best practice in football administration and coaching.

Tying down Van ‘t Schip to a three-year deal is the next piece of the puzzle for Heart’s new owners, who know a good thing when they see one, and have recognised the Dutchman as a prized asset.

Expect plenty changes to the playing squad in the off-season, with the former Ajax coach and Netherlands assistant likely to be already identifying targets.

It won’t stop on the field though. City’s owners recruited Ferrano Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, men who can take plenty of credit for Barcelona’s success under Pep Guardiola, to drive the Manchester’s club rise to Europe’s elite.

Their business knowledge and football expertise, as well that of other key figures, will filter down to Heart and Major League Soccer sister club New York City FC.

Despite having progressed through Ajax’s famed academy and coached by the best in the form of Johan Cruyff, Van ‘t Schip knows there is still plenty he can pick up from his new paymasters.

“With the involvement of the new owners, the City group, the growth in the club is secured for a long time now,” he said.

“And in that environment I think we can build on the team, on the club. That was a very important thing for me.

“The more people around with expertise, who work in the top of international football, the better for everybody.

“I’m happy that I can go there and have a look, and see how they work. I’ve done of course a lot at other higher levels.

“And I’m very interested in how they are working at Manchester City, so that will be very interesting to go there. And I think we can altogether make each other stronger.”

If the project progresses as expected, Heart’s facilities, administration and business model in general will become the envy of the A-League.

It won’t be easy for their more established rivals to swallow, but even powerhouse club Melbourne Victory could find themselves learning things from the red and white half of the city. And the subsequent rise in standards can only benefit the A-League as a whole.