Played
December 31, 2012 6:00 PM EST
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium — Gosford
Referee:‬ S. Delovski‎
Attendance:‬ 14591‎
 

A-League preview: Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory

The Mariners were surprise losers last time out, but will struggle to find relief when Perth Glory visit Bluetongue Stadium on New Year's Eve

More On :  Central Coast Mariners, Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners vs Perth Glory
Mat Ryan - Central Coast Mariners
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GOAL.com Indonesia   By GOAL.COM
  PROBABLE LINEUP
CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

 Ryan
Bojic, Sainsbury, Anderson, Rose
McGlinchley, Montgomery, Bozanic
Sterjovski, Duke, Ibini

PERTH GLORY

Vukovic
Risdon, Pantelidis, Van den Brink, Jamieson
Dodd, Miller, Burns, Heffernan
McGarry, Smeltz
Central Coast enter their now traditional New Year's Eve home fixture looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to struggling Sydney FC on Thursday.

The Mariners saw a nine-match unbeaten run come to an end against Frank Farina's side, who won thanks to a late Brett Emerton header. Central Coast struggled to assert their dominance on the contest as a battling, all-effort display from Sydney FC saw them claim the three points.

In a fiery finish to the match, midfielders John Hutchinson and Tom Rogic were sent off and the red cards will mean Mariners boss Graham Arnold needs to make significant changes for the match against the Perth Glory.

The league's leading scorer, Daniel McBreen – with 10 goals to his name this campaign – will also sit on the sidelines after picking up a yellow card in the second half.

The absence of McBreen means Matt Duke could be called upon to partner Bernie Ibini up front for the Mariners, while Mile Sterjovski, Oliver Bozanic and Adriano Pellegrino are the favourites to replace Hutchinson and Rogic.

In better news, right-back Pedj Bojic will return and should replace Hayden Morton in defence.  Patrick Zwaanswijk continues to miss through injury.

Perth also failed to win, with Nick Ward's terrific late strike giving them a point in a 1-1 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Glory lacked fluency until the dying stages of the match but will be pleased to extend their unbeaten streak to three matches.

Last season's losing grand finalists are slowly starting to come good and sit fifth on the table, nine points behind the table-topping Mariners.

Glory defender Michael Thwaite suffered a serious calf injury against the Wanderers and is sure to be on the sideline for some time.

The former Gold Coast United and Melbourne Victory defender has been a calming influence at the back for Perth this season, who have conceded just 11 goals in 13 matches.

Consistency amongst the back four is a common theme among good defences and the loss of Thwaite will disrupt Perth's set-up at the back. And although Steve Pantelidis is a handy replacement, the Australia international will be missed.

Scott Jamieson and Travis Dodd will return to the starting XI at left-back and right midfield respectively.

It seems silly to tip against a Mariners victory when they are playing at home. But the loss of Rogic and McBreen will be felt by Arnold's side, and as a result, fluidity in the final third will be much harder to achieve.

Perth have improved in recent times and it should not be forgotten that, after a sloppy start to last season, they came storming home. Ian Ferguson's side have a talented team and Jacob Burns and Liam Miller should be able to hold their own in the midfield.

That will give the Glory plenty of possession going forward and they look good value to claim a point.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Perth Glory
    21.88 %
  • Central Coast Mariners 8-8 Perth Glory
    12.5 %
  • Central Coast Mariners 3-1 Perth Glory
    9.38 %
Head to Head
Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 16/02/2013 Perth Glory 2 - Central Coast Mariners 1
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Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 31/12/2012 Central Coast Mariners 1 - Perth Glory 0
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Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 14/10/2012 Central Coast Mariners 1 - Perth Glory 0
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Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 14/04/2012 Central Coast Mariners 1 - Perth Glory 1
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Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 11/03/2012 Perth Glory 1 - Central Coast Mariners 0
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Last Five Matches
Central Coast Mariners
22/05/2013Guangzhou Evergrande 3 - Central Coast Mariners 0ACL
15/05/2013Central Coast Mariners 1 - Guangzhou Evergrande 2ACL
30/04/2013Central Coast Mariners 0 - Kashiwa Reysol 3ACL
23/04/2013Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0 - Central Coast Mariners 1ACL
21/04/2013Western Sydney Wanderers 0 - Central Coast Mariners 2AUS1
Perth Glory
05/04/2013Melbourne Victory 2 - Perth Glory 1AUS1
30/03/2013Perth Glory 1 - Adelaide United 1AUS1
23/03/2013Melbourne Victory 2 - Perth Glory 3AUS1
17/03/2013Perth Glory 1 - Wellington Phoenix 2AUS1
08/03/2013Newcastle Jets 1 - Perth Glory 2AUS1
Odds
Team News
Available Squads
1Matthew RyanGoalkeeper
3Joshua RoseDefender
4Pedj BojicDefender
5Zachary AndersonDefender
16Trent SainsburyDefender
8Adriano PellegrinoMidfielder
11Oliver BozanicMidfielder
14Michael McGlincheyMidfielder
18Nick MontgomeryMidfielder
21Mile SterjovskiMidfielder
23Adam KwasnikStriker
20PasfieldGoalkeeper
9Bernie Ibini-IseiStriker
-Brent GriffithsDefender
24Mitchell DukeStriker
1Danny VukovicGoalkeeper
-Bas Van den BrinkDefender
5Steve PantelidisMidfielder
35Dean HeffernanDefender
19Joshua RisdonDefender
14Scott JamiesonDefender
7Jacob BurnsMidfielder
10Liam MillerMidfielder
14Steven McGarryMidfielder
9Shane SmeltzStriker
13Travis DoddMidfielder
30Lewis ItalianoGoalkeeper
22Nick WardMidfielder
7Billy MehmetStriker
-Ryo NagaiStriker
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Daniel McBreen Daniel McBreen
Striker
Central Coast Mariners 		19 4
Jeremy Brockie Jeremy Brockie
Striker
Toronto FC 		16 2
Marco Rojas Marco Rojas
Midfielder
Melbourne Victory 		15 0
Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Del Piero
Striker
Sydney FC 		14 4
Besart Berisha Besart Berisha
Striker
Brisbane 		14 4