Central Coast Mariners vs Newcastle Jets Prediction: Adams at it again in F3 derby

The first F3 derby of the 2025/26 Australian A-League Men's season takes place on the opening weekend, as Central Coast Mariners host Newcastle Jets at Polytec Stadium this Sunday (05:00 BST, TNT Sports 4).

Below are my Central Coast Mariners vs Newcastle Jets predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

The Mariners' preparations were dealt a severe blow last week when head coach Mark Jackson departed for Thai League 1 club Buriram United. The 2023/24 treble-winning manager has been replaced by former Brisbane Roar boss Warren Moon, who has taken over in an interim capacity.

Moon's first squad includes off-season signings Andrew Redmayne, James Donachie and Will Kennedy, but club captain Trent Sainsbury will miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.

Football Odds

The Jets, who beat Heidelberg (1-1, 3-1 aet) on October 4 to win the Australia Cup for the first time in their history, will be without Clayton Taylor (unspecified), Kosta Grozos (suspended), Kota Mizunuma (knock), Alex Nassiep (unspecified), Noah James (knee) and Lucas Scicluna (unspecified).

Central Coast Mariners vs Newcastle Jets Odds

The Mariners won the first F3 derby of the 2024/25 season, beating the Jets 2-1 last November, but were held 2-2 at home in February and were thrashed 6-0 back in Newcastle in April. Sunday's hosts are 15/8, or a 34.8% chance, to kick off the new campaign with a win against their rivals, who are 23/20 (46.5%) to claim back-to-back victories in this head-to-head.

The draw is priced at 12/5, both teams to score at 1/2, and over 2.5 total goals at 8/15.

Match Result - Newcastle Jets @ 23/20

The Jets, on a high after securing their first-ever Australia Cup under new head coach Mark Milligan, are expected to make mincemeat of the Mariners on Sunday.

The Mariners ended last season in 10th, four points below the Jets, who stuck six past them the last time they met.

The Gosford club have endured a rotten 2025 so far, finishing the previous campaign with just one win from their last 16 competitive games (D6, L9), and in the off-season, saw several first-team players depart, including Brian Kaltack, Mikael Doka and Alou Kuol, before their boss called it quits last week.

Today's Football Fixtures

Milligan's Jets, meanwhile, beat reigning Australia Cup champions Macarthur FC  (3-0) en route to glory, and have managed to keep hold of the highly-rated Eli Adams.

Whether we will see a six-goal margin, as we did when these sides faced off in April, remains to be seen, but the Jets are certainly expected to pick up maximum points in Gosford.

Anytime Goalscorer - Eli Adams (NEW) @ 15/8

Adams missed the Australia Cup final earlier this month, but he has been named in Sunday's squad, and even if he doesn't start, he should receive at least 30 minutes on the field.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2024/25, scoring nine times in 24 ALM appearances, and his final two goals of the campaign came in the big F3 derby win in April.

Adams is already off the mark this term, finding the net off the bench in the 4-2 Australia Cup semi-final victory over Avondale FC on August 31.

At 15/8, he's decent value to breach CCM's backline again on Sunday.

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