Round 18 – NPL NSW Men’s Preview
The Premiership race is heating up and Round 18 of the National Premier Leagues NSW season is sure to offer another week of exhilarating match action.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers are only one point behind competition front runners Sydney Olympic FC and with five games left to play this one is sure to go down to the wire.
The battle for the fifth and final playoff spot is still as tightly contested as it has been all season with six teams all a realistic shot of making the finals.
This round will be huge in many ways as next weekend a bye round will take shape due to the Waratah Cup Final that will be fought out between reigning Cup champions Hakoah Sydney City East and APIA Leichhardt Tigers, a reply of the 2017 battle.
The action gets underway on Saturday night and wraps up on Wednesday June 11 when Manly United host Sydney FC under lights at Cromer Park.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Wollongong Wolves, 7pm Saturday at Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Bonnyrigg White Eagles will be out to score three valuable points when they host Wollongong Wolves on Saturday.
Bonnyrigg succumbed to their second straight loss in as many weeks last week with Sutherland Sharks claiming a 2-1 victory however did come up with a point in its round 14 rescheduled fixture against Blacktown City on Wednesday evening thanks to a goal from Jaewok Woo.
This was following the departure of long serving coach Brian ‘Bomber’ Brown that rocked the NPL NSW Men’s competition with the club decided to give Milan Susak the head coach role in the interim.
Their opponents Wollongong come into the match on the back of a 3-1 loss at home to Sydney United 58.
Skipper Ray Miller will be the man calling the shots for the White Eagles this weekend with their captain’s play through midfield key to their chances of ending their run of losses while James Chronopoulos will need to marshal his troops in the backline alongside David Vrankovic who has been in good scoring form.
Wollongong will look to Brendan Griffin for a big contribution in this match with the midfielder the standout player in round 17.
Bonnyrigg needs a win to keep their slim finals hopes alive while Wollongong need a win to climb back into the top five.
Expect a tough contest with plenty on the line for both sides.
Sydney United 58 v Hakoah Sydney City East, 7.45pm Saturday at Sydney United Sports Centre – Live streamed on facebook
Miro Vlastelica has given Sydney United 58 a new lease on life and the will be out to add another three points when they host Hakoah Sydney City East on Saturday.
A late fight back helped United 58 to a 3-1 win against Wollongong last round to give the Reds their third straight game of scoring three goals.
For Hakoah, Round 17 was one to forget as the Eastern Suburbs based side suffered a 2-1 defeat after Marconi’s Peter Pelekanos scored a final second winner in the 93rd minute.
United 58’s well known attacker in Panny Nikas has been in fine form of late and is once again rediscovering the form he hit wowing many in the NPL in the last few years – a player that will give the Hakoah defence plenty of headaches and one to watch out for.
Mitchell Stamatellis demonstrated his class in a losing team last round with a brilliant performance against Marconi. The veteran defender was solid at the back and pushed forward late in the match to create an equalising goal for Hakoah. His presence in the side makes a big difference to the Eastern Suburbs side’s chances.
Sydney United 58 have been flying high in recent weeks, but Hakoah need a bounce back win and will leave everything on the pitch as they strive for a vital three points on Saturday.
Marconi Stallions v Blacktown City, 3pm Sunday at Marconi Stadium – Live streamed on facebook
Clutching on to a finals berth, Marconi Stallions will need to hold off a dangerous Blacktown City side on Sunday.
The Stallions moved into the top five last round after a dramatic final second winner in their 2-1 victory against Hakoah Sydney City East.
It was a successful round last week for Blacktown as well with Mark Crittenden’s side returning to the winners circle for the first time since May 19 as they upset league leaders Sydney Olympic 1-0 however they did need a Dakota Askew equaliser to get them across the line for a point against the Bonnyrigg White Eagles in a rescheduled round 14 fixture on Wednesday evening.
Marconi Stallions shot stopper Nenad Vekic is in for a big week this round as he takes on his former club. Vekic was a big part of the Premiership and Championship winning Blacktown sides of recent seasons and he will hope to replicate his incredible recent form against his old teammates along with defender Peter Pelekanos who has been solid in the back alongside Michael Beauchamp.
For Blacktown look to Grant Lynch as their player to watch. In a little over one and a half seasons, Lynch has become one of the best defenders in the competition with his versatility and ability to read the game a big part of his success.
Blacktown have an enviable amount of firepower at their disposal and will look to score early and often against Marconi.
The Stallions will push Blacktown all the way in a game which is sure to feature plenty of excitement.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Sutherland Sharks, 4.15pm Sunday at Lambert Park
Top spot on the ladder is within touching distance for APIA Leichhardt Tigers but they will need a victory against Sutherland Sharks to keep their chances of back to back Premierships alive.
Only one point off the summit after last week’s comprehensive win against Sydney FC, APIA are full of confidence going into this clash.
Sutherland Sharks returned to winning ways themselves last week with a 2-1 win against Bonnyrigg White Eagles.
APIA’s defence has been one of the league’s best all season and it is the duo of Themba Muata-Marlow and Josh Symons in the middle which makes it so hard to break down.
The pair will surely continue their fine form and make it a tough day at the office for Sutherland’s attack while Jordan Murray, what more can be said of the striker who looks to be a shoe in for this year’s Golden Boot.
Nick Olsen returned to the Sutherland Sharks last week and made an immediate impact. His speed up front adds a new dimension to the Sharks attack and against his former club he will have extra inspiration to perform.
APIA will be the favourites for this match but Sutherland shouldn’t be written off by any means.
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Rockdale City Suns v Sydney Olympic, 5pm Sunday at Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale City Suns are on the cusp of the top five and a win against rivals Sydney Olympic on Sunday would go a long way towards helping Paul Reid’s side confirming a finals spot.
The Suns were 4-3 winners against Manly United in a high scoring contest at Ilinden Sports Centre last week.
Olympic were on the wrong end of a losing scoreline in Round 17 as the suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Blacktown City.
Former Socceroos shot stopper Ante Covic will have his hands full on Sunday as he attempts to keep a clean sheet against the dynamic attack of Sydney Olympic. If anyone is able to stop them it is Covic.
Radovan Pavicevic has played second fiddle to Alejandro Sanchez for most of the season, but the former Newcastle Jets rising star is set to play an important role on the run towards the finals.
He offers Abbas Saad’s side a variation in a attack which is important to breaking down the toughest defences.
Rockdale have had trouble defensively this season and will need their best performance to limit Olympic.
Olympic will be favourites away from home but Rockdale have the players to cause an upset.
Manly United v Sydney FC, 7.30pm Wednesday at Cromer Park
Midweek action comes to Cromer Park on Wednesday as Manly United host Sydney FC.
Manly suffered a 4-3 loss last rounds at the hands of Rockdale City Suns.
Sydney FC were also defeated in Round 17 as they were comprehensively defeated by APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
Scott Balderson will be one of the go to players for Manly in this fixture with the winger a tricky customer for opposition sides. His ability to link with Manly’s other attacking players should open up a handful of chances.
Sydney FC’s Patrick Flotmann has been a regular all season for the Young Sky Blues and the defender will have his work cut out for him against Manly. He has had a number of bright performances this season and will be out to help his side claim a shock upset.
Manly at home will be favourites against the league’s bottom ranked team but Sydney FC have shown on more than one occasion this campaign that they are capable of an upset.
