An eventful 90 minutes against Adelaide United not only saw Melbourne City FC come away from Coopers Stadium with a point as a result of a seesawing 2-2 draw, but also with two less players available for our upcoming clash with Central Coast Mariners this Sunday.
An accumulation of fouls early in the first half against the Reds saw Scott Jamieson’s name go into the referee’s book, with this also representing an accumulation of five yellow cards for the City skipper this season, equating to a one-match suspension.
Jamieson’s impending absence opens the door for Jordan Bos to make his starting debut in the Izuzu UTE A-League, having already made two starts in the FFA Cup and one league appearance late in the game in City’s Round 2 draw with Adelaide. However, whilst Bos is the only other recognised left-back in the senior squad, his place in the starting lineup can’t quite be guaranteed given Scott Galloway’s ability to play on either side, with Patrick Kisnorbo having the option to shift a centre-back to the right of his defence in that instance.
Speaking of central defenders, City will be also be without Nuno Reis on Sunday after the Portuguese centre-back was sent off for a second yellow card offence against Adelaide when he pulled down George Blackwood inside the penalty area.
Here, Kisnorbo has several replacement options, headlined by a potential return of Curtis Good to the starting lineup. The 28-year-old hasn’t featured in a matchday squad since the Christmas Derby. In the instance of Good’s unavailability, both Kerrin Stokes and Jordon Hall will fancy themselves as potential candidates to replace Reis, lining up alongside Rostyn Griffiths.
Stokes is yet to appear in the league this season but featured in all three of City’s FFA Cup fixtures, whilst Hall made his Club debut with a cameo from the bench against Adelaide last Saturday.
City fans will also be hoping to see Marco Tilio and Manuel Pucciarelli play a part in Sunday’s fixture after neither were a part of the squad to face Adelaide last weekend.
