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Brisbane Roar will be looking to move back into the top 6 with a win against the Central Coast Mariners at Gosford today.
Join The Roar for live scores of the match between the Mariners and the Roar from 5:00pm AEDT.
After losing to Melbourne City two weeks ago, and relinquishing their spot in the top 6 to them, the Roar will be looking to gain revenge by taking the position back today.
A win against the Mariners – after City drew with Perth last night – would put them back into the top 6 on goal difference.
For the Mariners, the top 6 remains a focus and they need to win today to keep in touch. A win by them would move them to within three points of City.
With both teams having three matches in the next week, a result today is also important. A win can provide both teams with a big confidence boost heading into the other two matches.
The focus is on today though and the three points on offer. It is also an important game for the Mariners and their fans fight against moving away from Gosford.
Today is the first match at home since the clash against Melbourne at North Sydney Oval. Since that 3-0 loss to Melbourne the fans, and the fans club, have been campaigning to get as many people as they can to Bluetongue Stadium.
They want the fans, and the club, to recognise there future is at Gosford. To do that they need a large turnout, and a good performance from the club for fans to turn up and then return later in the season. Asking for that will be tough with the form the Mariners are in.
They have not won a game in 11 matches and have only picked up 3 points in the last 6 games. The club needs a result soon.
The Mariners have included three players for the match. Jacob Poscoliero and Isaka Cernak have been promoted to the squad with Nick Montgomery returning from a calf injury. Michael Neill is the only out so far with a foot injury he suffered last week against the Glory.
The Mariners were unlucky at times against the Glory last week. They controlled play for the first 30 minutes of the match, but once they conceded the first goal they couldn’t come back into the contest. Goals and defence have been a big problem for them this season.
The Mariners have the worst attack in the competition, only averaging 1 goal in every 283 minutes of football.
When you combine that with the Mariners being third for goals conceded, it is clear to see why they are struggling for results this season.
They need to improve in both areas to turn around their season.
As for the Roar, they head into the match without their skipper, who left for Thailand.
Last week Matt Smith played his last game for the club before going to Bangkok Glass in the Thailand Premier League.
Now the Roar is without their captain and their best player – Thomas Broich – for this match and the foreseeable future.
Thankfully their vice-captain – Shane Stefanutto – is back from injury. He will take the captain’s armband for the match against the Mariners.
He is one of three inclusions to the squad with Devante Clut and Shannon Brady promoted to the team for the clash. For Matt McKay – who plays his final match before the Asian Cup – he will become the record games holder for the club today.
Today is his 163rd match for the club which beats the 162 by Massimo Murdocca who was a foundation player for the Roar.
Since the Roar sacked Mike Mulvey on the 23rd of November, Brisbane have improved and found results. In four matches under their new coach the Roar have won 2, drawn 1, and lost 1.
At Gosford the Roar have a great record against the Mariners. In ten years of matches the Roar have only lost twice on the Central Coast.
That is an impressive record by the Roar and it is one that cannot be ignored when looking at today’s match. With the way the Mariners are going, and the recent form of the Roar, it is hard to see the Mariners winning today.
The Roar may be missing some key players but they still have enough talent on the pitch to beat the Mariners. It promises to be a big match between two teams who are desperate for a win.
Prediction – 2-1 Roar
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