It is week 3 of the National Premier Leagues NSW season and all sides are starting to find their groove.
2017 Premiers APIA Leichhardt Tigers are the early leaders but they are yet to break away from the chasing pack.
Sydney United 58’s new coach Jason Culina has had a torrid first two weeks of the regular season and will be desperate to turn things around this weekend against Rockdale City Suns.
Manly United’s travel to Belmore to take on Sydney Olympic in one of this round’s live stream matches in as they too look to snatch their maiden victory of the campaign.
Marconi Stallions game against league leaders APIA Leichardt will also be live streamed on Saturday night in what will be a classic derby!
Saturday
Sydney FC v Wollongong Wolves FC, 5.45pm Saturday at Lambert Park
Sydney FC will be determined to return to winning ways when they host a strong Wollongong Wolves on Saturday night.
Robbie Stanton’s side was brought back to earth against Sutherland Sharks last week going down 2-1.
Against the Wolves the Young Sky Blues will be look to their comprehensive week one victory against Hakoah for inspiration.
Jeremy Cox will once again lead the line for Sydney FC with midfield maestro Andreas Agamemnonos pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
Wollongong come into the game on the back of a narrow 1-0 win against Rockdale City Suns in searing temperatures.
They will hope for much more comfortable conditions this time around with the experienced campaigners of Nick Montgomery, Takuya Nozawa and Yuzo Tashiro all imperative to the chances of Jacob Timpano’s side.
While traditionally difficult to beat at home, Wollongong have also had a reputation in recent years of struggling on the road.
They will need to correct that this week as they play their first away game of the season.
It will be a battle of youth up against experience with plenty on the line for both sides.
Hakoah Sydney City East FC v Sutherland Sharks FC, 7pm Saturday at Hensley Athletic Field
A huge round two victory has Hakoah Sydney City East full of confidence and they will be out to build some momentum with victory against Sutherland Sharks when they go head to head this Saturday.
Gavin Rae’s side claimed the upset of the round last week with their 3-0 demolition of reigning champions Manly United but if they are to repeat that feat against Sutherland they will need to do so without star attacker Andre De Jong who has been called up for New Zealand national team duty.
Winger Anthony Frangie will be expected to take much of the load for Hakoah while the experience of Mitchell Stamatellis will also be called on at the other end of the park
Sutherland also tasted victory in round two with Grant Lee’s side proving too strong for Sydney FC’s young outfit.
Defensive stalwart Jacob Tratt has been one of the buys of the season so far with the former Wellington Phoenix stopper solidifying the Sharks defence.
Keisuke Hayashi has had an equally as strong impact at the other end of the park with impressive performances in the attacking third.
Hakoah’s young lineup shouldn’t be underestimated and in front of their fans will provide a tough challenge for the visiting Sharks.
Blacktown City FC v Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC, 7pm Saturday at Lily Homes Stadium
It’s business as usual at Blacktown City with Mark Crittenden’s side starting the season undefeated through their first two games.
The side will be determined to keep the streak alive when they host Bonnyrigg White Eagles on Saturday.
Rugged midfielder Connor Evans stole the show in his side’s previous game with a sumptuous chip to score the winner against Sydney United 58.
Crittenden will expect more from his attackers this week as new additions Devante Clut and Charles Mendy get in sync with veteran club frontman Joey Gibbs.
Another positive sign for Blacktown City was the return of Danny Choi who played a 35 minute cameo in the second half.
Their opponents, Bonnyrigg come into the game on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Marconi Stallions.
It was the first competition point of the season for Brian Brown’s team but they will need to find another level if they are to secure victory against Blacktown.
Jewook Woo once once again the main source of opportunity for the White Eagles and will likely shoulder the playmaking load once again.
David Bradasevic has looked like a shrewd signing by Brown and will make it difficult for the Blacktown strikers.
Games between Blacktown and Bonnyrigg never lack excitement and that is expected to continue on Saturday night.
In previous season’s the White Eagles have proved to be a bogey team for Blacktown City, and with ‘Bomber’ returning to his former hunting ground at Lily Homes, the visitors will be pushing for a much needed victory to kick off its 2018 campaign.
Marconi Stallions FC v APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC, 7pm Saturday at Marconi Stadium – Live streamed on Facebook.
With a win and a draw to their name from the opening two games, Marconi Stallions are sure to be impressed with their return to the National Premier Leagues NSW top flight.
This round they face arguably their biggest test yet in 2017 Premiership winners APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
Fast starts have been the cornerstone of the Stallions matches so far with the side scoring in the opening six minutes in consecutive weeks.
Experienced campaigner Marko Jesic has made a great start to the 2018 season while Asian Champions League winner Mateo Poljak’s ability to pull the strings in midfield has proven valuable along with another fellow Asian Champions League winner in Michael Beauchamp.
APIA’s high powered attack has hit the ground running in 2018 with four goals in their first two games.
New singing George Howard scored his first goal for his new club last round while the combination of Sean Symons and Jordan Murray continue to develop into one of the leagues most fearsome partnerships.
Both sides posses talent shot stoppers in Nenad Vekic and Ivan Necevski with both likely to be in for a busy evening.
These clubs have shared many historic clashes over the years and Saturday nights could very well be another to add to the history books.
Sydney Olympic FC v Manly United FC, 3pm Sunday at Belmore Sports Ground – Live streamed on Facebook.
Sydney Olympic will be driven to return to the winners circle when they host reigning National Premier Leagues NSW Champions Manly United on Sunday.
Defeat at the hands of APIA Leichhardt Tigers undid the good work from their round one victory but Olympic coach Abbas Saad believes his players has the strength to bounce back..
Jinya An has been their best threat upfront while Spanish import Alejandro Lopez has also performed well
For Manly the season couldn’t have started any worse with two straight defeats conceding five goals in the process.
Defensive structure was singled out by coach Paul Dee as a major area of improvement and the pressure will be on the backline of Travis Oughtred, Jamie Lobb and Daniel Alessi to keep it together on Saturday.
It is a must win game for Manly but it won’t be easy with Olympic no easy beats.
Rockdale City Suns FC v Sydney United 58 FC, 5pm Sunday at Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale City Suns will be out to add to Sydney United 58’s woes with another defeat when the two sides clash this Sunday at Ilinden Sports Cente on Sunday
Paul Reid’s side goes up against a United 58 team that has struggled in the opening two rounds with back to back losses.
Both team’s were on the wrong side of 1-0 scorelines and the pressure to get their season back on track will surely be a driving factor in Sunday’s match.
One of the key men for Rockdale in this game will be the ever industrious Blake Ricciuto who provides the link between attack and defense with his lung busting box to box runs.
Alec Urosevski and the returning Jordan Figon will also be players to watch with the pair always a good chance of getting their names on the scoresheet.
Sydney United 58’s struggles so far have not come from a lack of trying and striker Chris Payne would be wondering what he has done to deserve the bad luck he has had in the past games.
Payne has been a constant presence for the Reds but has struggled to find the rewards for his efforts which also resulted in a missed penalty last weekend.
Talisman Panny Nikas remains the key to the side’s success and will be looking at ending his baron run of not scoring in the first two matches of the season while keeper John Hall will need to ensure that he keeps his concentration for the full ninety with the hope of keeping his first clean sheet for the 2018 season .
The club has been hurt with the absence of influential skipper Nick Stavroulakis whose leadership has been missed, but the boys from Edensor Park know that nothing short of three points is needed from their trip to Rockdale.
Matches between these sides rarely lack passion and with it being a must win game for both expect nothing less on Sunday.
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