Melbourne City 4/7 to beat Central Coast Mariners in Friday’s A-League matchup

Competition: A-League

Market: Melbourne City win

Odds: 4/7 @ Bet 365

Handed a golden opportunity to widen their buffer in the AFC Champions League spots, Melbourne City will make the trip to a downbeat Central Coast Stadium on Friday morning.

Starting with the hosts, hit with a 1-0 defeat away at Brisbane Roar last week, it is no surprise that the Mariners are once again seen to be a landslide favorite to lift the wooden spoon this season. Already sat 13 points adrift at the foot of the table, Central Coast find themselves in the midst of a woeful nine-match losing run in Australia’s top-tier. Continuing to show some glaring issues at the back and managing to land just a sole A-League clean sheet in their 21 matches this season, Head Coach Alen Stajcic has also seen his side continue to show some rather glaring issues on home soil. Including a 3-1 hammering against Wellington in their last matchup in Gosford, Central Coast have lost their last four straight matchups in front of their own supporters and could be in for another tricky test on Friday morning.

As for the visitors, while Melbourne City may have been disappointed to have only snatched a point against the Western Sydney Wanderers last week, the Blues still find themselves in pole position to land another AFC Champions League finish this season. Unbeaten in their last three A-League outings, including a 3-2 win away at Perth in their last matchup on the road, Melbourne should also be boosted by their stellar record against Friday’s hosts. Including back-to-back 3-1 and 5-0 wins when the two sides faced off last year, Erick Mombaerts’ men have lost just a single matchup against Central Coast since 2015 and there is no doubt that the Blues will be looking to make another statement in Gosford.

Bet: Melbourne City 4/7 to beat Central Coast Mariners in Friday’s A-League matchup @ Bet 365