Adelaide United vs Central Coast Mariners Tips & Prediction - Depleted Reds should still topple lowly Mariners at Coopers

Adelaide have always been an up-and-down team and they are trending upwards at the moment, heading into this encounter following back-to-back wins over Glory and the Wanderers. However, they have lost three of their best young players - Luka Jovanovic, Yaya Dukuly and Ethan Alagich - to Australian U23 duty for this game. Meanwhile, the Mariners are enduring a tough campaign and were basically toothless in a 2-1 defeat at home to Brisbane on New Year's Eve. Central Coast just don't have the quality at the moment and I'd place them as clear frontrunners for the wooden spoon at this stage.

So, despite missing some key players, Adelaide are backed to prevail at Coopers, where they always go to another level. Austin Ayoubi was on target against the Wanderers and should be in line for a start due to all the attacking outs for the Reds here - will have a small stake on the midfielder as a first goalscorer. The Mariners have conceded exactly three goals in their last two away defeats for correct score backers.

It's been either win or lose for Adelaide, with zero draws coming in their opening 10 games.

Of course, the Reds have been prolific at home, winning four of their five games at Coopers, but they also managed a gutsy 1-0 victory on the road over Perth in Round 9.

Adelaide made it two wins on the trot last weekend, coming from behind to topple the Wanderers 3-2, with Luka Jovanovic and Austin Ayoubi on target before Johnny Yull fired home the winner in stoppage time.

Central Coast bring a four-game losing streak into this encounter, suffering defeats against Sydney, Auckland, Wellington and Brisbane.

The Mariners have managed to get on the scoresheet in all of those defeats, but they just don't have the class to hang with most sides over 90 minutes these days.

Warren Moon's side almost hung on for a point in the New Year's Eve clash with Brisbane, but a lapse of concentration in the dying stages proved costly as they conceded a stoppage time winner to go down 2-1.