Central Coast Mariners will hope to overcome a mini slump as they travel to AAMI Park for an A-League clash against Melbourne Victory. Both teams have battled with defensive problems all season and are likely to serve up goals.
Melbourne Victory suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sydney FC in their previous A-League fixture. They fell behind early and attempted to hit on the break but could not find a way past the Sydney backline.
It is the sort of inconsistency that has plagued Steve Kean’s men all season as they failed to build on their thrilling 5-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in their previous fixture. They have claimed just two wins from their last 10 A-League matches and remain second from bottom.
Melbourne Victory have the worst defences in the A-League this season and have conceded 17 goals in their last five matches.
Central Coast Mariners continued their slump as they were beaten 4-0 at home by Brisbane Roar last time out in the A-League. They went into the break a goal down and then completely capitulated in the second half.
Although they are still third on the table, the Mariners are a long way away from their impressive early season form. They head into Sunday’s clash with just one win in their last eight A-League matches.
One problem manager Alen Stajcic has battled with in recent weeks is the Mariners' shaky defence. They are without a clean sheet in their last eight matches and have conceded six goals in the last two.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Central Coast Mariners as favourites with Unibet offering 11/10 for an away victory. A win for Melbourne Victory is valued at 13/5 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by bet365.
Head to head
Melbourne Victory have the edge in this fixture with 23 wins from 48 previous matches. Central Coast Mariners have 13 victories while there have been 12 stalemates between both teams, including a 1-1 draw in their first meeting this season.
Players to watch
Ben Folami netted a brace for Melbourne Victory in their previous home fixture and could be the one to watch on Sunday. Bet365 has the forward at odds of 12/5 to score anytime.
Despite their recent problems, Matt Simon continues to impress for Central Coast Mariners. The striker has eight goals this season and is priced at 13/10 by bet365 in the anytime goalscorer market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Five of the last seven matches between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners have produced over 4.5 goals and Unibet is offering 18/5 for a similar outcome. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 14/9 by SBK while over 2.5 goals is priced at 7/11 by Red Zone.
Matches involving Victory and the Mariners often feature goals after the break, so the second half could be picked as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Sport Nation. Both teams could also be backed to score in the second half at 18/11 with SBK.
This A League match between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners will be played on May 2, 2021 and kick off at 07:05. Check below for our tipsters best Melbourne Victory vs Central Coast Mariners prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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