Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix prediction, preview, team news and more

The A-League returns to the fold with another round of fixtures this week as Central Coast Mariners take on Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday. Both teams have been inconsistent this season and will need to win this game.

Wellington Phoenix are in seventh place in the A-League standings and have not been at their best this season. The New Zealand-based outfit suffered a shock 6-0 defeat against Melbourne City last week and will need to bounce back in this fixture.

Central Coast Mariners, on the other hand, are in eighth place in the league table at the moment and have also struggled this season. The Mariners held Western United to a 2-2 draw in their previous game and will need to take it up a notch this week.

Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix Head-to-Head

Wellington Phoenix have a good record against Central Coast Mariners and have won 19 out of 42 matches played between the two teams. Central Coast Mariners have managed 16 victories against Wellington Phoenix and can trouble their opponents in this fixture.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in November last year and ended in a 2-1 victory for Wellington Phoenix. Central Coast Mariners were poor on the day and will need to step up this week.

Central Coast Mariners form guide in the A-League: D-W-W-D-D

Wellington Phoenix form guide in the A-League: L-W-W-L-L

Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix Team News

Central Coast Mariners

Central Coast Mariners also have no discernible fitness issues at the moment and will need to field their strongest team this weekend. Moresche served his suspension last week and will be available for selection.

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Wellington Phoenix

Clayton Lewis picked up an injury while on international duty and is unlikely to be risked in this fixture. Reno Piscopo and Alex Rufer are carrying injuries and are unlikely to feature in this match.

Injured: Reno Piscopo, Oskar van Hattum, Alex Rufer, Clayton Lewis

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix Predicted XI

Central Coast Mariners Predicted XI (4-4-2): Mark Birighitti; Jacob Farrell, Kye Rowles, Lewis Miller, Storm Roux; Max Balard, Oliver Bozanic, Beni N'Kololo, Josh Nisbet; Marco Urena, Jason Cummings

Wellington Phoenix Predicted XI (4-4-2): Alex Paulsen; Sam Sutton, Joshua Laws, Tim Payne, Scott Wootton; Nicholas Pennington, Louis Fenton, Walter Sandoval, Jaushua Sotirio; Ben Waine, David Ball

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Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction

Central Coast Mariners are yet to hit their stride in the A-League this season and have a few pressing issues to solve at the moment. The Mariners have a good squad at their disposal and will need to justify their potential in the coming weeks.

Wellington Phoenix were given a hiding by Melbourne City last week and could potentially benefit from the harsh reality check. Both teams are evenly matched on paper and could play out a draw in this fixture.

Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Wellington Phoenix

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

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Edited by Aditya Hosangadi

Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix prediction, preview, team news and more | A-League 2021-22