Both the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne City will be out to rectify shock losses from the weekend when they meet in Gosford on Wednesday.
The Mariners surrendered top spot in its loss to Wellington at home, while a second half blitz from the Perth Glory punished an inaccurate City who struck the post twice in the opening half.
According to City boss Patrick Kisnorbo, the short turnaround gives his side the perfect chance to redeem itself after an uninspiring end to the last match.
‘’When we won against WU we had ten days off so the next best thing after a disappointing loss is to get over it quickly and play the next game and fortunately enough we have that chance tomorrow,’’ he said.
This match could see both sides unveil debutants with Alen Stajcic and Kisnorbo’s respective sides boosted by foreigners completing their mandatory quarantine period.
Alen Stajcic has named Serbian midfielder Stefan Jankovic, who will be looking to make his A-League debut. The 23-year-old – arriving from Serbian outfit OFK Beograd – has been biding his time on the sidelines since completing his quarantine a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, Rostyn Griffiths returns from injury while Portuguese defender Nuno Reis has travelled and been added to the Melbourne City team sheet days out from quarantine – though City boss Patrick Kisnorbo says the 30-year-old is unlikely to play the full match.
”[Griffiths and Reis] are capable but the question is whether they can play 90 minutes and the answer is probably not. We’ll take everything into consideration and see how things go for tomorrow but they will be an option,’’ Kisnorbo said.
”Scott Jamieson comes back from suspension and Nate Atkinson also got a few more minutes under his belt so he’s just about at full fitness so we’ll see how things go.’’
City has won its last three against the Mariners, with the two sides playing out a six goal thriller in their last meeting with Jamie Maclaren netting a hattrick in a 4-2 win.
But Kisnorbo is expecting a far greater challenge this time around, with his side preparing for a Mariners outfit reborn after several seasons languishing towards the bottom of the table.
‘’Staj has done a great job in what he’s brought to the team this year,’’ he said.
‘’I don’t know if their form has been surprising because they’ve got good players. It looks like they’ve got a system which suits them and we know it’s a hard place to come.’’
The match will also see Matt Simon make his 200th appearance for the Mariners.
Featured Image – Getty Images
