Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners – A-League Betting Preview and Prediction
Wellington Phoenix will play host to Central Coast Mariners on Sunday, February 14, when these two A-League teams clash at Sky Stadium. These sides have already met just two weeks ago when the Nix won 2-1 on the road and will now look to repeat that success on home soil.
Wellington Phoenix vs Central Coast Mariners
When: Sunday, February 14 – 16:05 AEDT
Where: Sky Stadium
Wellington Phoenix suffered a devastating 1-2 loss against Sydney FC last time out, which marked their third loss of the season and their second in the last three outings. Despite their loss, the Nix played well and it was not so much their poor performance that earned them the L, as much as Kosta Barbarouses’s two goals in 32nd and 64th minute.
The Nix also hit the woodwork twice in the second half, so it’s fair to say that had they been a bit luckier, we would be looking at a completely different result. Regardless, they ended the game with 55% ball possession and shot the ball 4/20, which is not bad at all, although they also gave up 17 fouls.
Central Coast Mariners have reclaimed their spot at the top of the league with a 3-2 victory against Western United on Sunday. They now hold a 5-0-2 record and 15 points, which sits them three points above their current biggest threat in Brisbane Roar who still have a game in hand.
In their game against W.U., Mariners conceded the first goal only four minutes in but needed only 13 minutes to respond with a goal of their own. Although W.U. found a way to add their second via Besart Berisha in 42nd to grab a 2-1 lead before halftime, the second half was all Mariners who found the back of the net in quick succession in 77th and 81st minute via Alou Kuol.
Mariners ended the game with 54% possession and shot the ball 6/15 (4/10 in the second half). They also completed 84% of their passes and gave up 15 fouls.
Nix and Mariners have quite a rich history between them, although these head-to-head bouts usually favor the former, who have won nine out of the last 12 meetings. Last time out at Bluetongue Stadium, Nix won 2-1 thanks to goals from Ulises Dávila in 15th and Jaushua Sotirio, who sealed the deal in the 88th minute.
So what to expect from this game? Another win for Wellington Phoenix or a tightly contested affair that can swing either way? Well, perhaps more the latter with a fairly solid chance we could see Nix taking another W.
Mariners’ success will heavily rely on Kuol, who is the star player on the team at only 19 years of age. He is in excellent form and since he has already scored against Phoenix last time out, it’s fair to assume he can do it again.
Mariners, while a deadly team, are not particularly effective in the back, seeing how they have conceded at least twice in their last three games. All things considered, both teams to score is a solid bet to take at a decent price. We have seen goals on both sides in their last five head-to-head meetings and there is nothing that would lead us to believe one team will end this match goalless.
Prediction: Both Team To Score
