Central Coast Mariners are back at Our Paradise on Sunday for a huge Isuzu UTE A-League clash against Sydney FC.
Mark Jackson will be looking for a strong response from his side after a disappointing 4-0 defeat to Yokohama F. Marinos on Tuesday evening, confirming our exit from the AFC Champions League Elite.
However, A-League form has been improving and the Mariners will look to build on a first win of the season last time out at Unite Round, as we were victorious for a sixth consecutive match against our F3 Derby rivals Newcastle Jets.
???? Sydney FC
The Sky Blues’ star-studded squad were everybody’s pre-season favourites, with the likes of Leo Sena and Douglas Costa the headline names that Ufuk Talay has at his disposal.
Other players to watch include international signings Patryk Klimala and Anas Ouahim, who have both settled in seamlessly to life in Australia.
Klimala has three goals in five A-League matches so far and has the exact same goals to game ratio in the Champions League Two.
The quality is obvious but Talay is yet to find the consistency in his team, with their A-League form reading WLWLW.
The Sky Blues have recorded two wins against their major rivals Western Sydney Wanderers, including last time out at Unite Round as they ran out comfortable 4-2 winners.
Talay’s team’s only other victory came away to winless Brisbane Roar, scraping a 3-2 win thanks to Jaiden Kucharski’s late goal.
In between those wins, Sydney have lost away to newcomers and early season pace setters Auckland FC, as well as at home to Macarthur.
Like the Mariners, Sydney also had a BYE last weekend so have been able to concentrate on continental performance, winning 4-1 last week in Hong Kong before rounding off their ACL2 group stage on Thursday evening with a 3-1 win at home.
Talay was able to rest a number of his first choice players in preparation for Sunday, whilst he also confirmed earlier in the week that star signing Douglas Costa will be fit and ready for his first trip to Our Paradise.
⏮ Previously against Sydney FC
The Mariners are worse off in the head-to-head history of this fixture, with Sydney winning 28 of 62 meetings since 2005. We have won 19 times whilst there has been 15 draws.
That trend continued last season as Sydney won both regular season fixtures, the only team to complete the double over the Mariners in 23/24, but Jacko’s team got the better of the Sky Blues when it mattered in finals football.
Goals from Josh Nisbet and a decisive penalty from Mikael Doka at Allianz Arena in the first leg, saw the Mariners come from behind to win 2-1. A goalless second leg followed but it was far from uneventful, the Mariners holding out to book a first home Grand Final in our history.
The two teams met twice in fiery and eventful pre-season friendlies, with more fireworks expected as this rivalry enters it’s 20th season on Sunday.
???? Mark Jackson: “I think it will be an exciting game for the fans”
???? Christian Theoharous: “We go into every game with the same mentality”
???? Ticket & Membership options
Tickets for the game are on sale via Ticketek, whilst you can also benefit from our flexible six-game membership offer. Six-game memberships are available for just $90, granting you access to this huge clash with Sydney, five more Isuzu UTE A-League matches and a host of other exclusive member benefits.
Start your summer the right way. Be at Our Paradise this weekend! ☀️
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) December 4, 2024
… and bring your inflatables ????
????: https://t.co/RfDwR3EMrv#CCMFC #RideTheWave???? pic.twitter.com/Y7L1AJzYii
4 days ago
Jacko on Yokohama defeat: “I expect to see a response”
Mark Jackson had some strong words after our 4-0 defeat to Yokohama F. Marinos on Tuesday evening.