The Western Sydney Wanderers will look to win a second match on the bounce when they host last season’s champions Central Coast Mariners in an exciting Saturday afternoon clash at Commbank Stadium.
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The Wanderers got their 2024 off to the perfect start with a 3-1 win over local rivals Macarthur in their annual New Year’s Day match at home; Marcus Antonsson got the scoring started after just 20 minutes before Aidan Simmons scored his first goal of the season with a header in the 12th minute.
A wonder-goal from Macarthur’s Jake Hollman halved the deficit, but the Wanderers were in complete control as they added a third through substitute Valentino Yuel in the late stages of the match.
The result cemented Western Sydney’s spot in third on the table, two points behind Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory, and should results go their way this weekend they could leapfrog both sides to go top of the A-League Men.
The Wanderers will be boosted by the return of Josh Brillante after serving a two-match suspension, and will be boosted by classy midfielder Milos Ninkovic seeing more minutes off the bench against the Bulls.
The likes of Gabriel Cleur and Alex Bonetig are also back in the fold, with the Wanderers injury issues beginning to ease, giving the side the perfect chance to build momentum as the halfway point of the season approaches.
Bonetig was particularly impressive on New Year’s Day, and was one of many youngsters to impress; with Simmons and Alex Badolato all playing well in starting roles.
The win was also special for goalkeeper Jack Gibson, who deputised in place of Lawrence Thomas who is on Asian Cup duty with the Socceroos; the 22-year-old gave an assured performance and was unlucky to be beaten by a stunning strike.
He will be looking to keep a first ever professional clean sheet, which won’t be easy against an improving Mariners side.
Central Coast had mass changes in playing and coaching staff in the off-season, with Jason Cummings and Nectar Triantis departing alongside championship winning coach Nick Montgomery.
It took time for new coach Mark Jackson to get the team into rhythm as they lost their first four games of the league season, but a win over rivals Newcastle at the end of November helped shift their momentum, and they have recorded solid draws against the two Melbourne sides, plus wins over Western United, Brisbane and Perth.
Central to this run of good form was Brazilian winger Marco Tulio who has four goals and assists in all competitions this season, but he has since departed the club for an overseas opportunity, dealing a further blow to the Mariners.
The attacking responsibility will fall on Angel Torres, who has six goals and two assists, and Alou Kuol, who has four goals since returning to the club after a stint in Germany.
The Mariners are only in the top six on goal difference and currently sit four points behind the Wanderers; if they are to repeat last season’s heroics they will need to continue their good run of form into January.
The sides met three times last season and produced three unique matches; the Mariners produced a strong second half in their first match at CommBank Stadium to record a 3-0 win, before the sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the end of January.
The Wanderers then got a strong win of their own back in Parramatta with a 2-0 win where both sides had a man sent off.
The sides have clashed in some huge games in recent years, including in finals and the 2013 grand final, and the Wanderers lead the head-to-head stakes with 15 wins to the Mariners’ eight.
