Bitesize Prediction: Auckland FC vs Central Coast Mariners – 16/03/25

Competition: A-League

Market: Auckland FC win

Odds: 1/2 @ BetUS

Looking to take another giant leap towards this season’s A-League crown, Auckland will welcome Central Coast to the Mount Smart Stadium in the early hours of Sunday.

Starting with the hosts, while Auckland might have only made their A-League debut this season, the Black Knights have enjoyed a real fairytale. Continuing to break a string of records this year, Steve Corica’s side remarkably open this weekend’s fixtures holding a six-point buffer at the top of the table. Looking to take another giant leap towards a famous A-League crown, the former Sydney boss finds the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. Although Auckland might have been forced to settle for consecutive stalemates against Newcastle and Adelaide, Sunday’s hosts are unbeaten in all of their previous eight appearances. Signing off February with a sensational 6-1 romp against Wellington, Corica’s men have suffered just a sole defeat from any of their last 11 straight outings – a run that stems all the way back to December 21st. Rightfully pencilled in as a standout contender this weekend, it should also be noted that Auckland have registered 10 points from their previous four A-League showdowns at the Mount Smart Stadium.

As for the visitors, although Central Coast might have made real history last season as they successfully defended their A-League crown, the Mariners have endured a public crisis this time around. Last seen putting in another nightmare display as they slumped to a routine 3-0 drumming at the hands of Melbourne Victory, Mark Jackson’s men have lost all of their previous five consecutive appearances across all competitions. With their woeful rut underlined by a 3-0 defeat against Western Sydney on February 22nd, Sunday’s guests have lost those five straight outings by an aggregate score of 14-2. In fact, the defending champions have failed to muster a single win from any of their previous 10 appearances – a run that stems back to January 17th. Opening this weekend’s fixtures sat 10 points adrift of finding a route into the play-off places, Central Coast will be bracing themselves for another stern examination when they travel to the runaway leaders on Sunday.

Bet: Auckland FC 1/2 to beat Central Coast Mariners in Sunday’s A-League showdown @ BetUS