A-League semi-finals: Western Sydney Wanderers vs Central Coast Mariners

Justin Smith looks at Western Sydney v Central Coast.  Follow him on twitter @smithj_43

Western Sydney Wanderers host the Central Coast Mariners in this highly anticipated clash in the Hyundai A-League Finals Series. Previous encounters this season between these two teams have often been hard fought contests with the sides splitting the honors having one win apiece and a draw.

Western Sydney are coming into the match much fresher than their opponents having just played two matches in the past fortnight. In addition, confidence will be high in the team as they managed to be the only Australian side to progress from the group stages of the ACL.

The Wanderers calmly dispatched of an under-strengthed Guizhou side 5-0 on Tuesday night in what can only be described as a vintage team performance. Tony Popovic was obviously ecstatic with his squad.

Since the midweek fixture, the players have been giving it their all in training to win a place in Popovic’s starting line-up. Popovic has a full squad to choose from; all the stars are fit and ready – the heavily publicised rotation policy paying dividends.

Meanwhile, the preparation for Central Coast Mariners has been anything but straightforward. The Mariners qualified for this match with a tense win over Adelaide United in their Elimination Final. After losing Graeme Arnold as their head coach mid-season, the Mariners were not fancied to get this far in the competition. However Arnold’s replacement Phil Moss has carried on the foundations laid by the previous boss.

The Mariners have had to juggle the continental competition with A-League fixtures with a varying degree of success. This could be a crucial factor given they have had to travel midweek too Japan, where they lost 1-0 against a strong Sanfrecce Hiroshima outfit.  Moss’s men will have to overcome significant mental demons should they progress to the A-League finals.

The Mariners squad is expected to be fatigued by the time they get back to Australia given they only get back into Sydney the day before the fixture. Phil Moss will be expected to rely on pace up front with Ibini and Duke, who were rested in the mid-week clash, used as a focal point for the side’s attack.

This sets up a mouth-watering match-up as both teams aim to clinch the first grand final spot at what is sure to be an atmospheric stadium.

This season’s match-ups:

Round 1: Central Coast Mariners 1 (Duke) drew with Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Juric) Central Coast Stadium.

Round 11: Western Sydney Wanderers 2 (Juric, Hersi) defeated Central Coast Mariners 0    Pirtek Stadium

Round 25: Central Coast Mariners 2 (Rose, Ibini) defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Topor-Stanley) Central Coast Stadium

Last 5 matches

Western Sydney Wanderers:  DWLDW

Central Coast Mariners: WWLWW

Head to Head

Played: 7         Wanderers: 2       Drawn: 2    Mariners: 3

Predicted Line-ups

Wanderers (4-3-3): Covic; D’Apuzzo, Topor-Stanley, Spiranavic, Polenz; Mooy, Poljak, Ono; Bridge, Juric; Hersi

Mariners (4-3-3): Reddy; Rose, Bosnar, Anderson, Roux; Hutchinson, Montgomery, Fitzgerald; Duke, Ibini, Simon

Absentee List

Western Sydney Wanderers: nil

Central Coast Mariners: nil

Eyes on…

Having only played a minor role in the mid-week fixture, there is no doubt that the Wanderers will rely on Shinji Ono in this crucial clash. Ono will be deployed to create the chances on his home turf. This will be his last A-league fixture at the venue so expect him to try and give a performance to remember.

Josh Rose stands as a key player for the Mariners. Last time out against the Wanderers, Rose played the best games of his season. He provided a cutting edge down the left side and left the opposition wanting with a quality finish.

Prediction: Hard to tip against the Wanderers in this fixture. So I’ll go 2-1 in a tight contest.

FTSAUS Fact file 

• Wanderers have only managed to score 5 goals against the Mariners in their previous 7 meetings (least against an A-League opposition).
• Mariners managed to win last week vs Adelaide with only 33% possession throughout the 90 minutes.

 

 

 

 

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