Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers prediction, preview, team news and more

The A-League returns to the fold with another set of matches this weekend as Central Coast Mariners take on Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday. Both teams have been inconsistent this season and will want to win this game.

Western Sydney Wanderers are in seventh place in the A-League standings and are yet to hit their stride this season. The Wanderers suffered a 2-0 defeat against Macarthur FC in their previous game and will need to bounce back this weekend.

Central Coast Mariners, on the other hand, are in fifth place in the league table at the moment and have been fairly impressive this year. The Mariners eased past Sydney FC by a 2-0 margin last week and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture.

Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers Head-to-Head

Western Sydney Wanderers have a good record against Central Coast Mariners and have won 14 out of 28 matches played between the two sides. Central Coast Mariners have managed six victories against the Wanderers and will need to step up in this match.

The previous meeting between the two sides took place in April this year and ended in a 2-2 draw. Both teams committed errors on the day and will need to be more robust this weekend.

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

Western Sydney Wanderers form guide in the A-League: L-W-D-D

Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers Team News

Central Coast Mariners

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

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Western Sydney Wanderers

Vedran Janjetovic is currently recovering from a long-term injury and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Keanu Baccus is also struggling with his fitness and will be sidelined this week.

Injured: Vedran Janjetovic, Keanu Baccus

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers 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, Matt Simon

Western Sydney Wanderers Predicted XI (4-3-3): Tomas Mejias; Rhys Williams, John Koutroumbis, Thomas Aquilina, Adama Traore; Steven Ugarkovic, Terry Antonis, Ramy Najjarine; Bernie Ibini-Isei, Dimitri Petratos, Tomer Hemed

Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction

Central Coast Mariners have blown hot and cold so far this season and will need to find some consistency in the coming weeks. The Mariners bounced back with a victory against Sydney FC after consecutive defeats and will look to maintain their resurgence this weekend.

Western Sydney Wanderers have good players in their ranks but will need to work as a unit this season. Both teams are evenly matched on paper and could play out a draw on Saturday.

Prediction: Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Western Sydney Wanderers

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 Western Sydney Wanderers prediction, preview, team news and more | A-League 2021-22