A-League semi-final LIVE: Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners at Allianz Stadium

It’ll take a fair effort from the Mariners to get the job done here. They only landed back in Australia late on Tuesday night, and the scheduling of this match hasn’t done them any favours; for the record, Allianz Stadium is booked over the weekend for other sports.

I’ve written a bit about the club’s incredible journey through Asia for the AFC Cup, which has taken them on a sensational 100,000 km trek which has ended with some historic silverware. And they’ve flown economy class the whole way. You can read about that here.

And then, after their 1-0 win over Lebanese outfit Al Ahed, I mused on where the Mariners’ feats rank in overall Australian terms. If they do the treble, and win the A-League grand final as well as the premiership and the AFC Cup, I reckon they’ll have to be regarded as one of the greatest teams we’ve ever seen. You can read that one here.

Here’s how Sydney FC are lining up:

Just the one change from coach Ufuk Talay, who has elected to bring in Jake Girdwood-Reich for the injured Joe Lolley - so no Max Burgess, who loomed as a more logical replacement. Expect a different shape from the Sky Blues, then.

And here’s the Central Coast Mariners team for tonight:

They’ve made two changes from the team that won the AFC Cup in Oman on the weekend, with striker Ryan Edmondson and midfielder Miguel Di Pizio out, and Alou Kuol and Storm Roux in.