Two teams at opposite ends of the A-League table meet this weekend when bottom-placed Melbourne Victory host Central Coast Mariners, who sit in third.
The visitors could lift themselves off the foot of the table with three points, while the visitors have the chance to continue placing pressure on those above the as the title race heats up.
Match preview
Melbourne Victory are running out of time if they want to salvage their season and lift themselves off the foot of the table, but another opportunity arises this Sunday.
A win against Central Coast Mariners has the potential of taking them above Brisbane Roar, should the Lions slip up in their respective game.
However, Melbourne Victory are without a win in their previous three matches, and they head into this one on the back of consecutive defeats.
The most recent loss came against Western United, and even though Bruno Fornaroli managed to score an equaliser early in the second half, they were unable to hold onto the result.
Melbourne Victory have been slightly stronger in home matches this season which could provide some confidence, but they will need to provide another big effort to pick up three points here.
That is because the visitors currently find themselves in the title race, sitting just nine points behind the league leaders which is a gap that they will believe they can close.
Central Coast Mariners have been one of the strongest attacking teams in the league this season, with their 40 goals being something that only the two teams above them can better.
That side of their game was evident last weekend when they defeated Macarthur 4-1, coming from behind with a flurry of goals either side of the half-time whistle.
A brace from Jason Cummings and goals from James McGarry and Marco Tulio proved to be enough to secure all three points in that match which is a feat they will be keen to repeat this time around.
Cummings was on hand to fire his team to three points with a brace the last time he faced Melbourne Victory, and the Central Coast Mariners forward will be the main danger man once again this time around.
Team News
The hosts have had good and bad news heading into this weekend as they will be without Luis Nani, Jake Brimmer and Matt Bozinovski due to injuries.
On the other hand, both Will Wilson and Stefan Nigro are both back in the matchday squad, and could find themselves immediately in the starting lineup this time around.
The visitors will be sure to start Cummings once again this weekend after adding another two goals to his impressive tally for the season, providing their main attacking threat.
Central Coast Mariners will also have the option of reintroducing Brian Kaltak and Moresche as their suspensions have been lifted, adding more experience to the team.
However, Nick Montgomery is without Dean Larson, Zac Zoricich and Jacob Farrell, with the latter being ruled out through an illness.
Melbourne Victory possible starting lineup:
Izzo; Geria, Miranda, Da Silva, Cadete; Velupillay, Chapman, Brillante, Folami; Ikonomidis, Fornaroli
Central Coast Mariners possible starting lineup:
Vukovic; Roux, Triantis, Hall, McGarry; Silvera, Balard, Nisbet, Duarte; Tulio, Cummings
We say: Melbourne Victory 1-3 Central Coast Mariners
Melbourne Victory have got a lot to play for, which should lead to them creating a tough test for their opponents. However, Central Coast Mariners should have too much quality here and will take all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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