After a long wait over the bye weekend, the Central Coast Mariners are finally back in action as the boys head west to take on Perth on Sunday afternoon.
Staj and the side have been hard at work since the #F3Derby draw with the Jets two weeks ago and they will set off for the West on Saturday, looking for their first win of the new season.
It's Friday, and that means it's almost time to play some Football. #CCMFC #PERvCCM pic.twitter.com/h3wzgnBZzK
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) November 1, 2019
The extended break has had the benefit of some added recovery time, with Dylan Fox and Jordan Murray both exiting that game early and having some extra time to make themselves fit to head West.
Eunsun Kim is straight into this squad after he was a late inclusion for the derby, and his control of the midfield will be important for Staj’s group as they seek to take points off the Glory at home.
The boss was full of good news about the squad during media ahead of Friday’s training, indicating that any niggles from the #F3Derby have all but gone.
“Everyone is fit and available, we’ve got a full squad to choose from ,” he said.
“Probably for the first time in a long time we’ll have to make some tough selection decisions which is always good for the team and the club and the harder that decision is it means we’re progressing as a squad.”
“I’m really happy with how we’re tracking and now we just need to put all the training effect and the positives into the game on Sunday.”
Hear from the boss as we get set to hit Perth and Melbourne as part of a two-game @ALeague road trip. #CCMFC
Full?️?https://t.co/fQ0zcIY7T8 pic.twitter.com/hPEhgbEii7— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) November 1, 2019
To prevail in this clash the Mariners will need to snap a four-game Perth winning streak in this fixture, and win in Perth for the first time in nine matches.
The Mariners have plenty of positives to count on though, with strong defensive performances so far preparing the side to take on the Glory’s renowned forward line.
Stajcic’s side rank second in percentage of duels won while ranking third in number of shots faced, while up top they possess the best shooting accuracy of any team this season with 62% of shots on target.
Squads |
Perth Glory squad: 1.Tando VELAPHI (gk), 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Jacob TRATT, 4.Gregory WUTHRICH, 5.Ivan FRANJIC, 6.Dino DJULBIC, 7.Joel CHIANESE, 9.Bruno FORNAROLI, 12.Kim SOO-BEOM 13.Osama MALIK, 14.Chris HAROLD, 15.Brandon WILSON, 17.Diego CASTRO (c), 18.Nick D’AGOSTINO, 19.Chris IKONOMIDIS, 20.Jake BRIMMER, 27.JUANDE, 28.Gabriel POPOVIC, 33.Liam REDDY (gk), 88.Neil KILKENNY
**2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 14.Chris HAROLD (promoted), 15.Brandon WILSON (promoted), 18.Nick D’AGOSTINO (returns from injury), 20.Jake BRIMMER (returns from injury)
Outs: 29.Kristian POPOVIC (international duty)
Unavailable: Nil
Central Coast Mariners squad: 1.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 2.Ian Zygmunt GORDON, 3.Jack CLISBY, 4.Eunsun KIM, 6.Giancarlo GALLIFUOCO, 7.Milan DURIC, 8.Michael MCGLINCHEY, 9.Jordan MURRAY, 10.Thomas OAR, 11.Daniel DE SILVA, 12.Adam PEARCE (gk), 14.Abraham MAJOK, 15.Kye ROWLES, 16.Dylan FOX, 17.Samuel SILVERA, 18.Gianni STENSNESS, 19.Matthew SIMON, 21.Ruon TONGYIK, 22.Jacob MELLING, 26.Joshua NISBET
**2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 22.Jacob MELLING (Promoted), 26.Joshua NISBET (Promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 25.John ROBERTS (International Duty)
Match Details |
Sunday, 3 November 2019
HBF Park, Perth
Kick-Off: 3:00pm (Local) (6:00pm (AEDT))
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referee 1: Josh Mannella
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew Southern
Fourth Official: Shane Skinner
VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones
