Western Sydney will be looking to provide a fitting temporary farewell to Wanderland before its redevelopment tomorrow night, while the cellar-dwelling Mariners need to show some grit after a dismal season.
Slipping to fourth place following their defeat to Melbourne Victory last weekend, the Wanderers are desperately needing a win to keep pace with the teams at the top of the league table.
Coach Tony Popovic this week admitted that they can kiss the Premier’s Plate goodbye if they fail to win this one, and even victories in their last two games might not be enough to secure top spot.
“We are at home on Friday night, our last league game at home at Pirtek for a while,” Popovic told Fox Sports this week.
“We want to send the fans home happy. We’ve been challenging for top spot all year and we don’t want to be in a position on Friday where we let ourselves down and that chance is gone. We will hit top spot if we win on Friday, that’s all we can control.”
The club also announced it will play 10 games a season at Spotless Stadium for the next two years, plus up to four marquee fixtures at ANZ Stadium next door. Several places were looked at to call home while Pirtek Stadium is demolished and replaced with a larger venue that will accommodate up to 35,000 people. After lengthy consultation with members and other stakeholders, the club have decided on the two Olympic Park venues.
Key battle – Romeo Castelen vs Michael Neill
While there will be many key battles across the pitch throughout this clash, these two players will restore hostilities after an intriguing contest last time out, and the winner of this duel could go a long way towards deciding the result of this match.
CrownBet match odds at time of publishing
Romeo Castelen was the Wanderers’ chief attacking instigator during the last time these teams met, and his pace and power will be tough for Michael Neill to contain.
Castelen made one jaw-dropping solo run in particular that got commentator Ned Zelic extremely excited. Initially holding off Neill, the Dutchman turned between the fullback and Nick Montgomery before proceeding to gloriously outwit Liam Rose with a silky two-touch move. The attack was eventually snuffed out, but it was a stirring snapshot of Castelen’s growing catalogue of quality.
Team news
Western Sydney will be without important Spanish holding-midfielder Dimas, who misses the game due to suspension and Jaushua Sotirio has been dropped after a couple of disappointing results. Brendan Hamill, Golgol Mebrahtu, Jacob Pepper and Jonathan Aspropotamitis could all feature after being added to the matchday squad though.
Central Coast will be missing goalkeeper Alastair Bray, who is suffering from a torn meniscus injury. Skipper Nick Montgomery is a strong chance to return after recovering from a calf injury, while the club has promoted academy youngsters Tom Heward-Belle and Trent Buhagiar to the matchday squad.
Head-to-head
Western Sydney currently sit fourth on 12 wins, six draws and seven losses, while Central Coast lie stone cold last with three wins, four draws, and 18 losses.
These two sides have met 13 times, with the Wanderers pipping the Mariners recording five wins compared to four, while they have played out four draws.
Previous meeting
These sides have met twice so far this season, with both matches being played at Central Coast Stadium. The Wanderers were the victors on both occasions, winning 2-1 in January and 2-0 in November. If they can topple the Mariners on Friday, it would be the first time the Wanderers have completed a clean sweep over the Central Coast in a season.
Prediction
Expect Western Sydney to recapture some goal scoring form with the finals looming and top spot on the line. They should prove far too strong for the Mariners, who will be looking to finish their campaign off with some encouraging performances before heading into an early pre-season.
Western Sydney Wanderers 2 Central Coast Mariners 0
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