Week four of the National Premier Leagues NSW competition has arrived, and it set to be another big week of action in NSW’s premier state league competition.
Sydney United 58 are on top of the table going into this week’s games after leapfrogging Rockdale Ilinden in round 3.
United 58, Rockdale and Manly United are the only remaining unbeaten teams, with all three determined to keep the streak alive as long as they can.
The matches get underway on Saturday evening as APIA Leichhardt hosts Sutherland Sharks at Lambert Park.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers are at home against Sydney FC in Saturday’s late match.
On Sunday, Rockdale Ilinden play host to Manly United. Wollongong Wolves travel to Belmore to play Sydney Olympic , Sydney United 58 will take on Blacktown City FC. While Marconi Stallions will host the Northbridge Bulls at the Palace to close out the round. with a match against Blacktown City FC.
Remember, you can catch all the action from every game, every round live-streamed on NPL.TV.
APIA Leichhardt v Sutherland Sharks, 5.15pm Saturday at Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt will be desperate to turn around their poor start to the campaign when they host Sutherland Sharks at Lambert Park on Saturday.
It is APIA’s first home game of the season, and a return to the familiar surrounds of Lambert Park may be the solution to their early-season struggles.
A carnival like atmosphere has been promised by the hosts who hope their senior men’s side can put on a party for all at 5:15pm.
Two defeats and a draw from their opening three games have APIA slumped to the bottom of the ladder and cost coach John Calleja his job with the club announcing his exit earlier this week.
Injuries to Hassan Jalloh and Themba Muata-Marlow have hampered APIA, forcing big minutes from their veteran players as they attempt to fill the gaps.
One player hoping to break his barren run is the club’s 2021 signing Blake Powell.
Powell will hope he can sting the back of the net against his former club to propel his form in front of goals.
New faces Harry Calahan, Will Mutch and Mathieu Cordier will also look towards asserting their authority in stabilizing a starting role at APIA with the trio hoping to make a difference on Saturday.
Looking to heap further woe on APIA is Sutherland Sharks, who come into the game after a 2-0 loss against Sydney United 58.
The Nick Dimovski coached outfit has yet to win a game this season but has shown their potential flashes.
Chris McStay could be one of the buys of the season with the box-to-box midfielder a machine in the centre of the park.
Chris Lindsay has also been a constant presence for the Sharks; his ability to create from the left flank a headache APIA’s defence will be desperate to deal with.
With a first win of the season on the line, both teams will be fired-up for this contest. APIA will be favourites at home, but if the Sharks can show the same determined performances of previous weeks, this match could go either way.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Sydney FC, 7pm Saturday at Popondetta Park
Mt Druitt Town Rangers will be looking for a big bounce-back win this Saturday night when they host Sydney FC at Popondetta Park.
The Rangers suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of a resurgent Wollongong Wolves last week and will be determined to make a return to the form, which helped them to a win and a draw in their previous two games.
Coach Stewart Montgomery will be working on his team’s finishing as their struggles converting opportunities during the first half proved costly in the loss.
Now four games into the season, the expectation is starting to rise for Japanese imports Takumu Tsujimura and Fumoto Kamada. The pair has had time to adapt to the league and will need to begin contributing more regularly if the Rangers are to taste this campaign’s success.
One pleasing aspect was the return from injury of marquee player Tarek Elrich, look for the former Socceroo to give Montgomery’s men that extra lift on Saturday.
They take on a Sydney FC team that has won two of its first three games and is brimming with confidence.
Last week, another strong display helped the Young Sky Blues to a 3-2 win against Northbridge Bulls.
Jaiden Kucharski had another good game and will again be a key contributor as will the talented Patrick Yazbek.
Like their rivals the Bulls, the young Sky Blues outfit will also feature a few senior A-League young guns so if the likes of Jordi Swibel, Harry van der Saag, Callum Talbot and keeper Tom Heward-Belle play, this game will certainly lift a gear.
Mt Druitt will be favourites at home but don’t be surprised if Sydney FC comes away with all three points.
Rockdale Ilinden FC v Manly United, 3pm Sunday at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
A return to winning ways will be on the agenda for Rockdale Ilinden as they host Manly United at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
A draw against Marconi Stallions ensured the Steven Zoric coached side remained undefeated to start the season.
After keeping a clean sheet in their first two games, Rockdale shipped three goals against a potent Marconi attack.
Captain Daniel Petkovski and Banri Kanaizumi will be pushing the defence to step up this round and claim another clean sheet.
Alec Urosevski has been in sublime form and will again be one to watch out for at Rockdale.
They play a Manly team coming off their opening win of the season against a solid Blacktown City outfit.
Daniel Fabrizio was a breakout performer for the boys from the Northern Beaches and will be one to watch in his contest.
Manly remain undefeated and will not go down without a fight.
This game is set to be a blockbuster.
Sydney Olympic v Wollongong Wolves, 4pm Sunday at Belmore Sports Ground
Back-to-back wins will be on the Sydney Olympic agenda as they play host to Wollongong Wolves this Sunday at Belmore Sports Ground.
Olympic claimed their first victory of the season with a narrow 1-0 victory against local rivals APIA Leichhardt with captain Tom Whiteside nodding home to collect all three points.
The win was a major relief for the Ante Juric coached side, who had slumped to back-to-back defeats in it’s opening two matches.
While they only scored one goal against APIA, Olympic’s attack was much improved, with Oliver Puflett a standout in what was a relentless performance from the home side.
It is good signs ahead of this week’s match with the combination between Puflett, Jason Madonis and Brendon Cholakian imperative to Olympic’s success.
Juric could have a few selection decisions to make again this week after Hagi Gligor and Adam Parkhouse sat out the APIA match, while Chris Parsons kept a clean sheet in his debut covering for the injured Nick Sorras.
Wollongong also comes into this game on the back of their first win of the season.
The Luke Wilkshire coached side nabbed a 3-1 victory against Mt Druitt after a flurry of second-half goals.
It was a brilliant return to form for the Wolves, who had struggled to find their groove in the opening matches.
Lachlan Scott’s big performance upfront was the catalyst to the second-half blitz, and WIlkshire will be relying on him to lead from the front again this round.
Leroy Jennings is starting to find his feet at his new club, which is a good sign for Wollongong moving forward.
With their first three-pointers in the bag, these competition heavyweights will feel free to play their own games when they go head to head on Sunday.
Olympic will be favourites at home but write off Wollongong at your own peril.
Sydney United 58 v Blacktown City FC, 4pm Sunday at Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 will be looking to get one over rivals Blacktown City this Sunday when the two sides face off at Sydney United Sports Centre.
United 58 will be pushing for four wins from their opening four games and further cement their spot at the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition ladder.
A brilliant brace from Patrick Antelmi eased United 58 to a 2-0 win on the road against Sutherland Sharks in round three.
The striker has started this season in incredible fashion scoring four goals to be equal top of the golden boot standings.
His strike partner Chris Payne is right up there as well, with three goals going to show how prolific this Sydney United attack has been.
Coach Tomi Vidovic will be looking for more of the same this week against a traditionally stout Blacktown City defence.
Jordan Roberts has been a key part of the attack with his supply from the flank, something to watch out for this week.
Blacktown City comes into this game on the back of a disappointing defeat at Manly United last Friday.
The 1-0 loss was a frustrating result for City, who was forced to play nearly the entire second half without Jak O’Brien, who received his marching orders after receiving a red card.
Coach Mark Crittenden would’ve been impressed with Carlos de Oliveria and Suleyman Bangura’s performances, who were impressive during the first half.
This week will be a chance for Crittenden’s side to retool and get their gameplan back in check. Defensively this is a Blacktown team that is difficult to break down, and they will want to make it hard for the high flying United 58 attack.
Huge news coming out from Blacktown City off the park was the appointment of one of Australia’s most recognisable and respected sports personalities in former NBL Basketball legendary coach Bob Turner as part of the club’s new restructure – a massive coup for not just the club but the league itself.
These two teams have developed a fierce rivalry over the past decade after huge matches in the FFA Cup and Finals games.
United 58 will be favourites but don’t expect anything short of a huge Blacktown performance. This one could go down to the wire.
Marconi Stallions v Northbridge Bulls FC, 5pm Sunday at Marconi Stadium
A maiden win for the season will be on Northbridge Bulls’ agenda as they take on Marconi Stallions at Marconi Stadium on Sunday to close out the round.
The Bulls nearly pulled off a second-half fightback last week as they fell to a 3-2 loss against Sydney FC.
While the results haven’t been exactly what coach Mile Sterjovski would’ve hoped for, his Bulls side has delivered several impressive performances across their opening three matches.
Rory Jordan was back amongst the scorers in round 3 after a brilliant display which could’ve easily featured three or four goals from the former Western Sydney Wanderers dynamo.
If the young attacker adds a clinical edge to his game, he will be a handful for opposition defences.
It will also depend on which current Bulls A-League first team players will come down to assist with club’s push for victory. With talented players such as Liam Rose, Moudi Najjar, Jake Hollman, Michael Ruhs and former Stallions stars Lachlan Sepping and Yianni Nicolaou all possibilities for this match-up.
Looking to stop the Bulls push for their first three-pointer is Marconi Stallions, who are also yet to win a game this season.
The Peter Tsekenis coached side were moments away from getting the job done against Rockdale last week before conceding an equaliser in the 90th minute.
While it was a bittersweet result for the Stallions, they showed signs of their incredible potential.
A key aspect to Marconi’s performance was their attacking stars Mitch Mallia, Anthony Frangie and captain Marko Jesic all finding the back of the net.
When these three are firing on all cylinders, then Marconi will be hard to stop.
Emmanuel Peters also had a promising debut and will be one to watch as he tackles his former teammates.
This game is set to be an exciting clash and a great game to close the NPL NSW round 4.