The Central Coast Mariners are set to face both Melbourne teams in four days which kicks off tonight against Victory at AAMI Park.
Where are you watching tonight’s match? Mariners staff will be joined by Members to watch the game at FogHorn Brewhouse, Erina where there will be prize giveaways and specials for anyone wearing a Mariners jersey!
Relishing a 10-day-turnaround, Okon has used the extra time between games to condition his side for a thrilling four-day period that will see the Mariners face Victory tonight at AAMI Park before returning to Central Coast Stadium for a New Year’s Eve Blockbuster against Melbourne City.
That said, Okon has his sights set firmly on tonight’s game and isn’t looking any further beyond that at this stage.
The match will also serve as a reunion for several players with Scott Galloway & Connor Pain facing their old club and Victory’s Mitch Austin and Oliver Bozanic likely to feature against their old club at AAMI Park.
Speaking before the team’s departure to Melbourne, Head Coach Paul Okon says that the squad is focusing on one match at a time.
“We’ve done a fair bit of work this week to prepare and the idea is to train harder and freshen up as we get closer,” Okon said. “At the moment we’re only looking at the first game against Melbourne Victory and we will see how that pans out.
“Melbourne City on New Year’s Eve is an important game for us but right now it’s about preparing for tonight’s game and making sure we get to a level of performance that will give us a chance to compete.
“We’ve looked back at Victory’s last few games and we all know they’ve been a top A-League team for a number of years so we’re aware of their strengths but we feel that there are areas of their playing style that suits our team when we have the ball. It’s a question of if we can execute that and being mindful that they’re a team that can transition very quickly with the likes of Rojas, Troisi and Berisha who are top class players.
Talking about the return of Galloway and Pain to Melbourne, Okon said that as a player it’s always a ‘special’ moment to face your old club.
“Whenever I went somewhere as an ex-player it was always a special moment coming up against your club,” Okon said. “There’s part of you that wants to show that maybe it was a mistake but I think both players have moved on from that and are relishing the opportunity they’ve got somewhere else.
“It came at a time in both of their careers where they could have more opportunity to get regular football so hopefully Melbourne Victory welcome them with open arms because they’re good boys who left on good terms so it will be a special moment for them both and hopefully we can help them to put in a good performance,” Okon said.
Tonight’s match is LIVE on Fox Sports 505! Tune into the pre-game coverage from 7:30pm to hear from Connor Pain & Paul Okon.
Melbourne Victory Squad: 2.Jason GERIA, 4.Nick ANSELL, 5.Daniel GEORGIEVSKI, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Marco ROJAS, 8.Besart BERISHA, 9.Max BEISTER, 10.James TROISI, 11.Mitch AUSTIN, 13.Oliver BOZANIC, 14.Fahid BEN KHALFALLAH, 15.Alan BARO, 16.Rashid MAHAZI, 17.James DONACHIE, 20.Lawrence THOMAS (gk), 21.Carl VALERI (c), 23.Jai INGHAM, 40.Matt ACTON (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 11.Mitch AUSTIN (returns from injury), 16.Rashid MAHAZI (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 19.George HOWARD (knee – 1 week), 27.Alastair BRAY (shoulder – 3-4 months)
Central Coast Mariners squad : 1.Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 3.Scott GALLOWAY, 5.Harry ASCROFT, 6.Blake POWELL, 7.Fabio FERREIRA, 8.Nick MONTGOMERY (c), 9.Roy O’DONOVAN, 11.Connor PAIN, 12.Trent BUHAGIAR, 13.Kwabena APPIAH, 14.Adam BERRY, 16.Liam ROSE, 17.Josh BINGHAM, 19.Jacques FATY, 20.Paul IZZO (gk), 21.Michael NEILL, 22.Jake McGING, 25.Ryan PETERSON
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 17.Josh BINGHAM (promoted), 19.Jacques FATY (return from injury)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 10.Mickael TAVARES (ankle – 1 week), 2.Storm ROUX (ankle injury – 1 week), 23.Jake ADELSON (ACL – indefinite)
Match Details
Hyundai A-League 2016/17 – Round 12
Wednesday 28 December 2016
Melbourne Victory vs. Central Coast Mariners
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
kick-off: 7:50pm (AEDT)
Official hash-tags: #MVCvCCM & #CCMFC
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 505
Radio Broadcast: 96.3 Coast FM
Match Details
Hyundai A-League 2016/17 – Round 13
Saturday 31 December 2016
Central Coast Mariners vs. Melbourne City
Venue: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Tickets: CLICK HERE
kick-off: 7:00pm (AEDT)
Official hash-tags: #CCMvMCY & #CCMFC
TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 505
Radio Broadcast: 96.3 Coast FM
