Aiming to avoid a third consecutive defeat, Central Coast Mariners welcome Sydney FC to the Central Coast Stadium on Saturday in round eight of the 2022-23 Australian A-League season.
Meanwhile, the away side make the trip to Gosford in search of a third victory on the bounce to help continue their recent upturn in form.
Match preview
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Sydney FC saw off the threat of Melbourne City courtesy of a narrow 2-1 victory when the sides faced off at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday.
Steve Corica's men found themselves behind midway through the first half following Jamie Maclaren's opener, but goals in either half from Joe Lolley and Adam Le Fondre turned the game on its head.
With 10 points amassed from their seven outings so far, the Sky Blues sit fourth in the league standings, six points behind leaders Melbourne City.
Currently with the joint second-most goals scored on enemy territory this term, Saturday's visitors set out to put on another attacking masterclass away from home this weekend.
Off the back of a four-week hiatus, Central Coast Mariners resumed their domestic campaign with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle Jets on Sunday.
Nick Montgomery's men fell behind to Trent Buhagiar's early opener but managed to draw level through Jason Cummings before Beka Mikeltadze grabbed the winner midway through the second period.
Consequently, the Coasties have dropped to eight place in the Australian A-League table, two points behind their last opponents in the race for the final playoff spot.
Next up is the challenge of a Sydney FC outfit who have come out on top in each of the most recent three meetings between the teams across all competitions.
Having conceded the most home goals in the entire division, Saturday's hosts will be wary of being picked apart defensively on their own turf, where they remain without a clean sheet since May.
Team News
Brian Kaltak missed Central Coast's last outing due to a one-game suspension, but the 29-year-old is now eligible to participate once again.
Eight days after crashing out to Argentina in the last 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Garang Kuol made a cameo appearance for the hosts against Newcastle Jets, and the Australian could be given a starting berth this time around.
Sydney's Adam Le Fondre wasted no time in returning to the scoresheet after missing four straight matches, and the forward will be pushing to be included in the lineup for this one.
Connor O'Toole remains an injury doubt for the visitors due to a muscle problem which has seen him fail to make a league appearance in the ongoing season.
Central Coast Mariners possible starting lineup:
Vukovic; Triantis, Farrell, Kaltak, Aquilina; Marco, Nisbet, Balard, Nkololo; Ayongo, Cummings
Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Grant, Donachie, Rodwell, Caballo; Retre, Brattan, Caceres; Burgess, Le Fondre, Lolley
We say: Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Sydney FC
Both sides boast similar attacking numbers heading into this one, so it would be a surprise if either of them came away without conceding. However, Central Coast Mariners are just about more solid at the back, and we can see them narrowly coming out on top at the end of the 90 minutes.
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