Central Coast Mariners come in having lost 4-1 at Melbourne Victory, a game that exposed their defence badly despite an early lead, while before that they had picked up a draw and two wins in their previous three league outings. At home, though, their record is steadier than their away numbers, with only three home defeats all season and 13 goals scored in 11 matches.
Perth Glory are the clearer fit for the Double Chance X2 angle because they have been hard to beat often enough on their travels, collecting three away wins and three away draws from 11 league trips. Their recent sequence is also full of points shared rather than heavy defeats, with four draws in their last six league matches and only one win in their last seven, which keeps them live even if they do not start strongly.
There is still some tension around the scoreline because Central Coast have found a way to score in most home games, and Perth have gone through enough matches without a clean sheet to leave both nets in play. The head-to-head picture also leans away from a straightforward home win, with Perth having beaten Central Coast 3-0 in January and taking points again in earlier meetings.
Perth Glory’s away goals for and against line is respectable enough for this market, at 14 scored and 21 conceded, and Central Coast’s home profile is not dominant enough to rule out a visitor response. With both sides sitting in the middle-to-lower half of the table and neither arriving in strong winning form, the draw or an away result remains the safer side of the equation.
My prediction is Double Chance X2 at 17/33. Perth Glory have avoided defeat in six of their 11 away league games, Central Coast have managed only three home wins all season, and Perth’s recent run includes four draws in six plus a 3-0 head-to-head win over this opponent in January.
