Central Coast Mariners vs Auckland FC Prediction

Following their first ever defeat as a professional side, Auckland FC will be looking to come back stronger on Saturday against a Central Coast Mariners side that has struggled to string together any sort of consistent form this season.

The home side have struggled to partake in action packed matches so far this campaign, with their 8 games producing just 17 goals so far, including two 0-0 draws.

Meanwhile, despite their defeat to Western United last time out, Auckland have been mightily impressive, and sit top of the A-League table as reward for their efforts.

As the game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Key Statistics

• The Mariners have scored the fewest goals of any side in the league, bagging just six so far, two behind the next best team.
• They have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight matches; defence is clearly an area which coach Mark Jackson needs to focus on.
• Meanwhile, Auckland have the second best defensive record in the league, conceding just 7 in their 8 games so far. The only side more watertight in defence is Melbourne Victory, who have conceded five.
• Auckland also have the best home form this season, winning four of their five games at the AAMI Park.

Central Coast Mariners Preview

Central Coast Mariners Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1) Dylan Peraic-Cullen (GK); Alou Kuol, Alfie McCalmont, Noah Smith, Brian Kaltak; Storm Roux, Mikael Doka; Nathan Paull, Sasha Kuzevski, Harrison Steele; Haine Eames.

Sitting 10th in the league, the Mariners need to up their games quickly. While they have been relatively water-tight in defence, their attack has consistently let them down, and with six goals in 8 games in the A-League, that is clear for all to see.

Being hard to break down has its positives; if teams can’t score against you, you’re almost guaranteed to take away a point. However, if you don’t score, you cant score more than a point. It appears that Mark Jackson has found himself in a bit of a catch 22 situation.

If he tells his team to focus on solid defence, he will be deserting what little attacking threat they have left. However, if he abandons his solid defensive approach, his team will score more, but also concede more, leaving the final result up to chance more often than not.

It speaks volumes that their top scorer for the campaign is left-back Alou Kuol with two goals. If the Mariners are to avoid finishing rock bottom of the league this season, they need to work out how to score goals.

Auckland FC Preview

Auckland FC Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1) Alex Paulsen (GK); Francis De Vries, Nando Pijnaker, Hiroki Sakai, Scott Gallaway; Luis Gallegos, Louis Verstraete; Neyder Moreno, Jake Brimmer, Liam Gillion; Guillermo May.

Despite suffering their first ever A-League defeat, Auckland will still be buoyed by their early season form. Sitting top of the division after eight games is no mean feat, least of all by a club that was only founded in spring.

However, the 4-0 loss to Western United was a humbling one, and would’ve brought the New Zealand based team right back to earth. While they dominated possession throughout the games, they never looked fully in charge, and in hindsight will likely agree that they deserved to be beaten.

The game against Central Coast Mariners presents the perfect opportunity to bounce back from such a disappointing result. The Mariners are a struggling team, and are finding it difficult to score goals, something the Auckland defence will perceive as a late Christmas present. Despite the disappointment last time out, Auckland should find a way to win here.

Central Coast Mariners vs Auckland FC Head to Head

Once again, as a newly founded side, Auckland have never faced the Mariners, and they will be looking to start their head to head record on a positive note, setting the precedent for future meetings.

Central Coast Mariners vs Auckland FC Betting Tip

In its current order, the A-League appears somewhat confounding. With Auckland top of the division, and with most sides pulling off unlikely results against others, it seems to be a season where anything can happen.

While Auckland look likely to win this one, we think their defence could be breached at some point by the unpredictable Mariners, which is why we are backing both teams to score here.

Central Coast Mariners vs Auckland FC Final Prediction

Central Coast Mariners 1-2 Auckland FC

We reckon the Mariners will take a shock lead, and will hold on to it going into half time. But a second half resurgence by Auckland will see them flip the game on it’s head, and they will hold on late in the second half to claim another priceless victory.