Western Sydney Wanderers head coach Alen Stajcic has named his extended squad for Saturday night’s clash against the Mariners at Industree Group Stadium.
The Western Sydney Wanderers will look to extend their unbeaten streak to four matches when they take on reigning A-League champions Central Coast Mariners this Saturday afternoon.
With nearly a full week of preparation under their belts, the Wanderers head into the clash fresh, while the Mariners return from a demanding trip to Japan, where they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Kawasaki Frontale in the Asian Champions League.
The two sides last met just five games ago, with the Mariners narrowly holding off a late Wanderers fightback.
However, since that win, Central Coast have struggled to find form, failing to claim victory in any of their last six matches across all competitions (four draws, two losses). Their recent run has seen them slide down the A-League table and exit the Champions League.
A staggering nine league draws this season—the most of any team—has been a source of frustration for the Mariners, particularly against bottom-half sides Perth and Newcastle in recent weeks.
After losing several key players in the off-season, Central Coast have found consistency hard to come by. While still in the hunt for a top-six finish, they have lost ground and currently sit four points behind the Wanderers heading into this crucial encounter.
A win for the Wanderers could theoretically take them to third – something that would be unlikely with other results – but a victory would probably see them jump into the Finals places as the season edges closer to conclusion.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 2.Gab CLEUR, 3.Alex GERSBACH, 4.Alex BONETIG, 6.Mohammed AL-TAAY, 7.Zac SAPSFORD, 14.Nicolas MILANOVIC, 9.Marcus ANTONSSON, 13.Dean PELEKANOS, 17.Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 18.Oscar PRIESTMAN, 19.Jack CLISBY, 20.Lawrence THOMAS, 21.Aydan HAMMOND, 22.Anthony PANTAZPOULOS, 23.Bozhidar KRAEV, 25.Josh BRILLANTE, 26.Brandon BORRELLO, 27.James TEMELKOVSKI, 30.Jordan HOLMES, 64.Juan MATA
Ins: 13.Dean PELEKANOS (promoted), 64.Juan MATA (promoted0q233
Outs: 46.Alaat ABDUL-RAHMAN
Unavailable: 5.Dylan SCICLUNA (injured), 8.Jeong TAE-WOOK (injured)
