Western United vs Central Coast Mariners Prediction: Clever Ruhs could cripple CCM

Central Coast Mariners moved to the top of the Australian A-League Men's last week with a 2-1 win over title rivals Wellington Phoenix, who subsequently regained first position with a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory on Friday. The Premier's Plate is still in the Mariners' hands with three games remaining, the first of which arrives at the Wyndham Regional Football Facility on Saturday (KO, 06:30), against Western United.

The Tarneit-based club are currently 11th, locked on points with bottom-club Perth Glory, and will be desperate to avoid the A-League Men's wooden spoon. Ahead of Saturday's match-up in Melbourne, which will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 3, we have noted all the latest team news and match odds and delivered our Western United vs Central Coast Mariners prediction.

The Mariners ran out easy 4-0 winners in Gosford when these sides met in December, though one of the goals was scored by Marco Tulio, who has since departed for Japanese side Kyoto Sanga. Saturday will be their first visit to Tarneit though, following Western United's move to the Wyndham Regional Football Facility earlier this month.

Remarkably, Sydney FC (twice) are the only A-League outfit to have beaten CCM since Brisbane Roar (1-2) did a number on them on November 12, and they've amassed more points in the last five games (12) than any other side in the division.

Just below them in the form table are Western United, who have won three and drawn one of their previous five matches. Their switch to a new stadium in Tarneit paid immediate dividends last week as they dispatched play-off hopefuls Macarthur FC 4-2 to draw level on points with Perth Glory.

They've played a game less than the Glory, so it is now in Western United's hands to avoid a wooden spoon finish.

Team News

Japanese defender Tomoki Imai will complete his two-match suspension on Saturday, meaning he will not be available for Western United against CCM.

Noah Botic, Ramy Najjarine and Jacob Tratt are also out for the hosts, who could be without Rhys Bozinovski for a fifth consecutive game.

Central Coast Mariners are still missing injured defensive duo Noah Smith and Sasha Kuzevski, but have a full squad otherwise.

There could be changes, however, with the first-leg of their AFC Cup semi-final tie with Abdish-Ata in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to come on Wednesday.

Match Odds

Western United are 11/5 - or a 31.3% chance - to make it two wins out of two at their new home, while the Mariners are 9/10 to win in Tarneit, giving them an implied win probability of 52.6%.

The draw can be backed at 11/4, both teams to score at 1/2 and over 3.5 goals at 5/4.

Draw or Central Coast Mariners & Both Teams To Score - Yes @ 19/20

I'm not willing to stick my neck out against the Mariners after losing just twice since mid-November, but I do wonder whether there is the potential for them to drop a couple of points on Saturday with a big midweek match on their minds.

Western United are in good form and the move into their own stadium should help to stabilise them further.

Certainly, I expect both teams to get on the score sheet here - BTTS - Yes has landed in Western United's last four games and the Mariners' last two.

Michael Ruhs to score anytime @ 23/10

Michael Ruhs spent the 2022/23 campaign at Central Coast Mariners, scoring twice in 15 A-League Men's appearances before switching to Western United ahead of the new season.

The Australian went goalless in his first season, playing just seven times in the league, and it took him until January 7 to score his first of the current campaign.

Another barren spell followed but he has been brought back to life in the last few weeks, scoring a consolation in a 4-1 defeat to Adelaide United before bagging a brace on his Wyndham Regional Football Facility bow last Saturday. Have the floodgates now opened?

At 23/10, I like the odds of him finding the net again in Tarneit.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.