A-League Betting: Central Coast Mariners can beat Wellington Phoenix in battle between struggling teams

Recommended bet: Central Coast Mariners to win @ Evens (2.00) with Sportsbet

Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix meet at the Central Coast Stadium on Sunday evening with both teams looking for the win to end current poor runs of form.

There were no great expectations for either of these teams going into the season, which is just as well as neither look likely to be A-League playoff candidates at this stage of the campaign.

That said, it was the Mariners who handed defending champions and league leaders Sydney FC their one defeat of the season to date, beating the Sky Blues 2-0 at the Central Coast Stadium back in early November.  

However, despite winning two of their following three games (including a comprehensive 4-1 win away to Phoenix barely a month ago), they’ve since failed to build on that success and come into this match on the back of three straight defeats in which they’ve failed to register a single goal themselves.  

With only 13 goals in a dozen A-League games, only Western Sydney Wanderers have scored fewer goals this season.  Take away the four-goal haul at the Westpac Stadium and that tally would look particularly dire.

Phoenix’s form is even worse, having recorded just six points all season, just one point from their last five games and taken just a solitary point from a possible 15 on the road.  They currently prop up the table and are in danger of being cast adrift.

On Boxing Day the Mariners suffered a 1-0 loss at Adelaide United, whilst Phoenix went down 4-1 at home to Sydney FC a couple of days before Christmas.  Phoenix have now conceded 25 goals in 11 A-League fixtures this term, so it’s clear where their main problems lie.  What they do have is a prolific goalscorer, with Serbian striker  Andrija Kaluđerović having scored eight of his side’s 15 goals to date.

So we have a game between two out of form teams, one that struggles to score goals and one that concedes too readily.  

However, the Mariners have home advantage, have beaten Phoenix recently and showed against Sydney FC that they are a match for anyone on their day.  At Evens (2.00) with Sportsbet, they look the best bet in this one.