Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix – A-League Betting Preview and Prediction
The high-flying Central Coast Mariners will clash with Wellington Phoenix on Sunday, January 31, at Central Coast Stadium where they will search for their fourth win of the season which would solidify them as the top team in the league.
Here is our free betting preview and prediction for the A-League bout scheduled for Sunday at 16:05 AEDT.
Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix
When: Sunday, January 31 at 16:05 AEDT
Where: Central Coast Stadium
Weather: Rain, 27 °C
Central Coast Mariners enter this match off a commanding win against Sydney FC at Jubilee Stadium on Friday, when they locked in their third win of the season and improved their record to 3-0-1. Even though the result was quite shocking, it’s fair to say Mariners were the better team and deserve all the praise they can get for what they have shown.
The first goal of the game did not happen until the 53rd minute when Ben Warland scored an own goal to get the ball rolling for Mariners. They needed only 21 minutes to seal the deal with another goal with the help of Alou Kuol who scored his second of the season.
Mariners ended their bout with Sydney with 42% ball possession and shot the ball 4/9. They also completed 79% of their passes and gave up five fouls with two yellows.
The Wellington Phoenix enter this match off a 1-2 loss against Newcastle Jets at the Wollongong Showground. With that loss, the Nix now sit at the bottom of the A-League standings with a 0-1-2 record and one point.
The game started with an early eighth-minute goal from the Jets, who added another one in the 51st minute. The Nix responded with an 85th-minute penalty goal, but it was too late too little to get back in the game.
It’s worth noting that Nix played much better than what the final score would suggest. They ended the game with 65% possession and shot the ball 8/23. They also completed 84% of their passes, although gave up 12 goals and received one yellow.
The Nix historically do well against the Mariners, seeing how they have won this match eight times in the last 11 meetings. Their most recent clash happened at the end of March when Phoenix won 3-1, which marked their fifth consecutive head-to-head victory, two of which came on the road.
Even though Nix lost their bout with the Jets, it’s hard to argue they deserved an L. That said, Phoenix have up way too many chances and ultimately had to pay the price for it, so it’s not like we can defend them for not winning. Regardless, we have faith that Nix are much stronger than how it may seem.
Mariners are on a roll and will be difficult to stop, which is something Newcastle Jets, Macarthur FC and Sydney FC can all agree with. Another statistic that sticks out like a sore thumb is that Mariners conceded only once in four games, which is quite scary, but their defense is not nearly as solid as that number suggests.
Central Coast are slightly overachieving in their opening four fixtures of the season and even though there is no telling how long will their run last, it’s fair to say Nix won’t be easy to defeat if they enter this match with the same fire they have shown against Jets and fix some of the mistakes. We are leaning more towards Wellington Phoenix for this one.
Prediction: Wellington Phoenix to win
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