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Third A-League coach facing the axe

3 minute read

Round 15 of the A-League season could spell the end of a third coach with Western Sydney Wanderers manager Markus Babbel under pressure.

MARKUS BABBEL
MARKUS BABBEL Picture: Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images

Western Sydney coach Markus Babbel has declared himself "a fighter" amid reports he could be sacked by the A-League club on Monday.

The Wanderers slumped to their eighth loss for the A-League season with a 1-0 defeat to premiers Perth at the Bankwest Stadium.

Although the Wanderers refused to comment on reports Sunday night's game was Babbel's last, the German manager said he believes he has the full support of the club.

"I haven't spoken to anyone. I felt from the first day until now absolute (support) and I didn't hear anything different," he said in response to the reports.

"I'm a fighter, don't worry."

Should Babbel be sacked, he would be the third coach to lose his job this season behind Marco Kurz at Melbourne Victory and Ernie Merrick at Newcastle.

The loss leaves the Western Sydney club in a state of uncertainty heading into their round 16 bye before they face Central Coast on February 2.

While the Wanderers were in misery, it was a stark contrast to the Glory, who notched up a club record sixth consecutive win with former Western Sydney manager Tony Popovic in charge.

The A-League premiers are now third on the ladder but could shoot to second behind champions Sydney FC if they can beat Melbourne City at AAMI Park next week.

Elsewhere in round 15, Central Coast were thrashed 3-0 by Western United in Geelong.

It was the first win in over a month for Mark Rudan's side, while the Mariners have not scored back-to-back wins in over two years.

Mariners got off to a horror start, conceding all three goals within the first 21 minutes, with champion goalscorer Besart Berisha adding two to his tally of nine for the season.

Melbourne City, Brisbane and Adelaide were also able to keep clean sheets.

Roar's 1-0 win over Wellington has moved them into seventh on the ladder, avoiding defeat in their last four matches after a disappointing start to the season.

Melbourne Victory's 1-0 loss to Adelaide saw them slip down the ladder into eighth position, with Gertjan Verbeek's men holding onto sixth leading into round 16.

Following their 2-0 loss to Melbourne City, the Jets remain in last place on the ladder without a win from their past five matches and only two this season.

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