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Paul Okon Previews Perth vs. Mariners

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The Central Coast Mariners & Perth Glory are both poised to make a late charge for the top six which makes for a crucial game on Saturday night at nib Stadium. 

Kick-off is 10pm AEDT which always makes for a tough trip to Western Australia against Kenny Lowe’s Glory.

After the Hyundai A-League split rounds, this is the Mariners’ first game since February 23 where they defeated Wellington Phoenix 1-0. Perth Glory’s last hit out was on March 4 where they drew 1-1 with the Wanderers away from home.

Glory will be without goalkeeper, Liam Reddy who was sent off against the Wanderers and received a one game suspension.

The Mariners have an opportunity to draw level on the Hyundai A-League table with Perth Glory if they are to secure an important three points away from home.

Paolo in the Press

(Impact of split rounds…)
“We’re happy that we’re back in action this weekend. We’re really looking forward to it.

“We’re expecting to win, we’re expecting to go there with the attitude we’ve had all season whether we play at home or away and that’s to try and get three points. There’s no doubt that it’s a tough trip but we’re confident in the way we’ve prepared that we will be ready to go at kick-off time.

(Morale at training this week…)
“Training has been good. It’s amazing what a win does, it puts smiles on everyone’s faces so from that perspective we’ve maybe enjoyed training a bit more. The goal now is to get another win as soon as possible so that we can continue the way we are.

“The attitude has been great; the energy has been great. We continue to work as hard as we can – we’re certainly not taking our foot off the pedal. We have a session in Perth remaining which will allow us to evaluate everyone so we don’t have too many concerns.

(Diego Castro missing for Perth…)
“A team that has Diego Castro playing is going to be a strong team. They go into this game with a similar run of form to us (win and draw), and they are at home. We expect a really tough game but we are confident that we can perform.

(Facing the top four teams in the final six games…)
“Every game is important but if you look at the games this season, we’ve performed and had our best results against teams in the top four. Hopefully that continues.

“We’re really only looking at the game we have in front of us and that’s Perth. We feel confident enough that we can get the job done. Then, we will look at what lies ahead after that.

“When you play teams above you or teams that everyone says are going to win the comp’, the level of expectation is on them and not on you. Maybe that’s helped us in certain games against those teams. But, every game in the A-League is difficult, any team can beat any team on their day, we’ve seen that this season so there’s always a challenge and the challenge on Saturday is Perth Glory and we are up for that challenge,” Okon said.

Opta Stat-Attack

  • The Mariners have won three of their last four games against the Glory (L1), keeping a clean sheet in each of those wins.
  • Perth Glory have failed to score in the first half of seven of their nine home games this season; the same amount as their previous two seasons combined.
  • The Mariners have drawn three of their last four games away from home
  • 67% of all Perth Glory’s goals this season have come in either the opening (30%) or closing (37%) 15- minutes of games this season, a higher percentage in either period than any other team.
  • The Mariners have a passing accuracy of 71% in opposition territory this campaign, the second best of any team behind the Wanderers (72%).
  • Shane Lowry has blocked 21 shots at goal this campaign, more than any other player in the competition.
  • Blake Powell has been directly involved in three of the Mariners’ last five goals away from home (2 goals, 1 assist).

Perth Glory squad: 2.Alex GRANT, 4.Shane LOWRY, 7.Joel CHIANESE, 8.Xavi TORRES, 9.Andy KEOGH (c), 13.Nick FEELY (gk), 14.Chris HAROLD, 15.Brandon WILSON, 16.Joseph MILLS, 18.Andreu GUERAO, 20.Jake BRIMMER, 22.Adam TAGGART, 23.Scott NEVILLE, 26.Jacob ITALIANO, 40.Jackson LEE (gk), 66.Dino DJULBIC, 88.Neil KILKENNY
**two to be omitted**

Ins: 14.Chris HAROLD (returns from injury), 40.Jackson Lee (gk) (promoted)

Outs: 33.Liam REDDY (Gk) (suspended – 1 week), 17.Diego CASTRO (calf – 1 week)

Central Coast Mariners Squad: 1.Ben KENNEDY (gk), 2.Storm ROUX, 4.Jake McGING, 5.Antony GOLEC, 6.Tom HIARIEJ, 7.Andrew HOOLE, 8.Blake POWELL, 10.Danny De SILVA, 11.Connor PAIN, 12.Trent BUHAGIAR, 15.Alan BARO (c) 16.Liam ROSE, 18.Tom GLOVER (gk), 19.Jacob POSCOLIERO, 22.Jacob MELLING, 23.Wout BRAMA 24.Lachlan WALES, 27.Peter SKAPETIS
**two to be omitted**

Ins: 16.Liam ROSE (promoted), 24.Lachlan WALES (promoted)

Outs: nil

Match Details
Saturday, 10 March 2018
Hyundai A-League Round 22
Match: Perth Glory vs. Central Coast Mariners
Venue: nib Stadium, Perth
Kick-off: 10:00pm (AEDT)
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA 501
Hash-tag: Join the match conversation using #PERvCCM & #CCMFC

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