The Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners will go head-to-head in a battle of basement dwellers. Join The Roar for live scores from the A-League match on Saturday at Westpac Stadium, starting from 5:35pm AEDT.
Both sides at this stage of the season have only a single win to their names, and while they aren’t alone in being at that mark – with Western Sydney, Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar also on that level – leaky defence has seen them sink to the lower reaches.
The Nix have let through 13 goals, the second-most of any team in the competition, and the Mariners 12, which is the equal third-worst.
Wellington in particular however have shown the ability to put a score up – their 11 goals for the A-League season so far is the equal second-most in the competition, albeit being tied with two other sides and well behind Newcastle’s 20.
That said, Wellington have achieved that level despite playing one less match than every other side bar the Wanderers, as the fixture between the two last week was cancelled – not a bad effort a for a team on the bottom of the table.
That cancellation was unfortunate timing as it may have interrupted the good momentum the Phoenix built with their first win of the season, 5-2 against Perth Glory, the week before.
Central Coast’s first win of the year came in the same week, a 2-0 upset when they hosted last season’s champs Sydney FC. However, they came back to reality last week with 2-1 loss to Adelaide United.
Prediction
Wellington having the home ground advantage, coupled with their impressive display in their last match, suggests they should get the win here today.
Wellington Phoenix 2-0.
Join The Roar for live scores from the A-League match between the Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday at Westpac Stadium, starting from 5:35pm AEDT.
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