Boogaard wary of Mariners despite recent slump - Sydney Morning Herald

Balanced: Adelaide's Nigel Boogaard, right, doesn't believe the Mariners are on the wane. Photo: Getty Images

Adelaide United defender Nigel Boogaard is wary of his former A-League club Central Coast.

While many pundits question whether the Mariners are on the wane, Boogaard isn't among them. ''They have obviously got great depth in their squad to still be able to be in the position they are with not great results in the past month and a half,'' he said. The Mariners have won just five of 11 games since the start of the new year yet remain in second spot on the ladder, five points behind Western Sydney.

And Boogaard, who played 55 games for the Mariners before joining Adelaide, said there was no chance the Reds would treat them lightly in Sunday's clash at Hindmarsh Stadium.

''They are well balanced defensively. They are very well organised and hard to break down,'' Boogaard said. ''Going forward, they have got some boys who can really push you on the counter-attack with some pace out wide. And they have got guys up front who know how to find the back of the net.''

Adelaide haven't beaten Central Coast since September 2009. But Boogaard said Adelaide should worry more about themselves than the seven-game losing streak against Central Coast. ''For us, it's about doing what we need to do well to get the result,'' he said. ''It's just a matter of us concentrating on what we need to do when we have possession, keeping it and waiting for the right time to attack. We also need to be solid defensively because when we defend well we usually get a result.''

Both clubs will be without their first-choice goalkeepers, with Adelaide captain Eugene Galekovic and the Mariners' Matt Ryan on Socceroos duty. The Reds are set to welcome back striker Bruce Djite from a groin injury but have lost playmaker Marcelo Carrusca (groin).

Meanwhile, Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi needs all the good news he can get these days. And while many may find it hard to believe, Aloisi reckons lining up against an equally desperate Roar in Brisbane on Sunday presents just that.

Playing away should be the last thing Aloisi would want considering their woeful road record.

The Heart have flat-lined away from home this season - remarkably their last win outside Melbourne was in December 2011. Throw in a three-match regular-season losing run and four unavailable players - including injured Brazilian playmaker Fred - and Aloisi should not be a happy chappie.

However, the Heart mentor reckons if they are going to launch an unlikely finals run it is going to be against A-League defending champions the Roar. The Heart are unbeaten in their past five matches against Brisbane including 4-1 and 3-2 victories this season, albeit at AAMI Park.

''We've worked on the way Brisbane play a little bit and we seem to match up really well against them,'' he said. ''It suits us to play against Brisbane, so that gives us confidence to go up there and put in a good performance.''

If they win both their remaining games they could finish fifth - or they could finish last.

''We don't want to look back and say, 'Well we can finish last','' Aloisi said. ''We want to look back and say we've finished fifth.''

AAP