Round 12 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
It’s Round 12 and we’ve reached the second half of the National Premier Leagues NSW season with the action set to heat up as the finish line edges closer.
Blacktown City holds onto top spot for the second straight week and will be hoping to stretch their lead with a victory this round.
The matches get underway on Friday night with Mt Druitt hosting Manly United at Popondetta Park.
Sutherland Sharks will take on Northbridge Bulls FC at Seymour Shaw in the round’s only Saturday match.
The majority of the Round 12 games will take place on Sunday starting with Wollongong Wolves going up against Rockdale Ilinden, before Sydney United 58 faces off against rivals Sydney Olympic.
APIA Leichhardt will receive a visit from competition leaders Blacktown, while Sydney FC rounds out the week’s games as they take on Marconi Stallions.
Remember you can catch all the action on NPL.TV.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Manly United FC, 7pm Friday at Popondetta Park
We love our Friday night football as Mt Druitt Town Rangers will be determined to start the second half of the campaign with a win as they take on Manly United at Popondetta Park on Friday night
The Rangers have been undefeated in their past six matches but have been held to draws in three of the last four.
They shared the spoils with Northbridge Bulls in Round 11 after conceding an injury-time equaliser.
Coach Stewart Montgomery will be without long time attacking weapon John Roberts who has departed the club to move to Melbourne, however, Toufic Alameddine will be back in the Mt Druitt colours as his replacement.
Jack Stewart will be the player to watch with the attacker in incredible recent form. His performances this season have caught the attention of A-League side Macarthur Bulls.
Japanese imports Takumu Tsujimura and Fumuto Kamada have begun to feel more at home in the Mt Druitt setup and the x-factor they provide will be important to the Rangers finals chances.
Looking to cause an upset is a Manly United side desperate to break back into the top five.
A 1-1 draw against Marconi in round 11 broke a run of back-to-back defeats but coach Adam Griffiths will be expecting much more from his squad.
Veteran striker Richie Cardozo nabbed his second goal of the season via a delightful chip but it wasn’t enough as Manly conceded 10 minutes later allowing Marconi to take a point.
Lapses in concentration have been very costly for the boys from the Northern Beaches and the pressure will be on the side to deliver a 90-minute performance this week.
Mt Druitt will be favourites at home but Manly have the stocks to cause an upset.
Sutherland Sharks v Northbridge Bulls FC, 3.30pm Saturday at Seymour Shaw Park
Sutherland Sharks will be looking to return to winning ways when they host Northbridge Bulls this Saturday at Seymour Shaw Park.
The Sharks have lost their past two matches conceding three goals in each and coach Nick Dimovski will be desperate to tighten up their defence.
Wollongong’s Leroy Jennings had his way in a 3-2 victory last round with Sutherland having no answers for the Wolves winger.
The pressure will be on Brendan Hooper and Patrick O’Shea at the heart of the Sharks backline for yet another week as they face a prolific Bulls attack while James Andrew will hope he can hit the back of the net once more after firing blanks last weekend.
Northbridge snapped a run of defeats last round with a last gasp 2-2 draw against Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
Bulls skipper Rory Jordan scored in added time with a clinical finish to cap off yet another brilliant performance from the prodigious talent.
While the draw broke a run of defeats for Northbridge, the side has not won a game since round six and coach Mile Sterjovski will be pushing his young squad to take all three points this week.
The round one clash between these sides was an edge of your seat classic, setting the scene for what is sure to be an entertaining tie on Saturday.
Wollongong Wolves v Rockdale Ilinden FC, 2.30pm Sunday at Albert Butler Memorial Park
Wollongong Wolves will be looking to make it three wins in as many weeks as they play host to reigning premiers Rockdale Ilinden at Albert Butler Memorial Park this Sunday.
Star recruit Leroy Jennings had a breakout performance last round with a hat-trick in the Wolves 3-2 win against Sutherland Sharks. It was his first goals for the 2021 season.
Coach Luke Wilkshire will be looking for more of the same from the winger against a stubborn Rockdale backline.
Rockdale comes into this match full of confidence after thumping Sydney FC 4-1 in round 11.
An Alec Urosevski hat-trick led the way for Rockdale as Bai Antoniou wrapped up the win.
It is a brilliant return to form for the Steve Zoric coached outfit who had been held to draws in their previous two matches.
Rockdale will be determined to return to first place on the table and will need all three points this week to ensure Blacktown doesn’t stretch their lead in the top spot.
The Wolves will be in for a battle this week and need to be at their very best if they are to stop a rampaging Rockdale attack which put four past them in their previous clash this season.
It is set to be a thrilling clash.
Sydney United 58 v Sydney Olympic, 3pm Sunday at Sydney United Sports Centre
Old rivals face off as Sydney United 58 plays host to Sydney Olympic this Sunday at Sydney United Sports Centre.
United 58 have seemingly rediscovered their groove with back-to-back wins after a mid-season slump.
A last gasp win against APIA Leichhardt was a hard-earned victory for Sydney United as a deflected Mat Sim free-kick secured victory in the dying stages of the match.
Coach Tomi Vidovic will be pushing his players to carry on their free-scoring ways with striker Patrick Antelmi leading them at the point of the attack.
United 58 snatched a narrow 1-0 victory when these two sides met in round one.
Matchups between these two traditional rivals are often all-action encounters and this one is set to be no different.
For the visitors, Olympic will be hoping to spoil United 58’s mojo as Ante Juric’s men look towards getting back to winning ways.
Brendan Cholakian will be key to the team’s success as will Danial Dias as both will look to assert themselves in what will be a midfield battle of massive proportions.
APIA Leichhardt v Blacktown City FC, 4pm Sunday at Lambert Park
A big bounce-back performance will be the goal for APIA Leichhardt as they host competition leaders Blacktown City at Lambert Park on Sunday.
After a difficult start to the season, APIA has found form in recent weeks but suffered a heartbreaking defeat in round 11 as Sydney United 58 snatched a 3-2 win with a 90th-minute goal.
APIA will be determined to bounce back and prove they’re finals contenders with a big victory against the competition leaders.
Coach Paul Dee will need his defence to step up against a Blacktown City attack which is in peak form.
Josh Symons will be returning from suspension and he will boost the club’s backline especially with the injury to warhorse Paul Galimi who is nursing a pectoral injury.
Peter Kekeris has been a revelation since signing from Sydney Olympic two weeks ago, being used as a super-sub, his impact has been impressive with the pacy winger hoping to stamp his authority against one of the top dogs of the competition.
City comes into this game in brilliant form winning their last four matches.
Travis Major was once again on the scoresheet as Blacktown defeated Sydney Olympic 2-1 last round.
Lachlan Campbell has been one of Blacktown City’s best players during their winning run and earned a spot in the team of the week alongside captain Matthew Lewis.
Mario Shabow is hoping to return to the squad after sitting out the match against the Blues due to injury.
Coach Mark Crittenden knows how to get the most out of his squad and will be pushing them towards a fifth straight win and a tighter grip on first place.
Blacktown will be favourites for this clash, however, if APIA wants to prove themselves as finals contenders an upset in this match is the perfect place to start.
Sydney FC v Marconi Stallions, 6.30pm Sunday at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Sydney FC will hope to make it two from two against Marconi Stallions when they face off at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday night.
The Young Sky Blues opened their campaign with a shock win against the Stallions in round one of this year’s competition and a second victory could be the turning point in their season.
Sydney has struggled since that win and come into this match slumped in last position after a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Rockdale in round 11.
Coach Jim van Weeren caught the Stallions off guard in their opening round tie but it won’t be as simple this time around with both teams able to get a better understanding of the opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
Adrian Segecic found the back of the net in last week’s loss and could be a key attacking option. Jordi Swibel and Patrick Wood could also come into contention for Van Weeren.
Marconi comes into the game on the back of yet another draw after they shared the spoils 1-1 with Manly.
It was their seventh draw of the season and coach Peter Tsekenis will be searching for answers to help his side rediscover their winning edge.
Marko Jesic found the back of the net against Manly last week to claim his sixth goal of the season. The club captain was in peak form when notched up a brace in the club’s 2-0 FFA Cup Round 6 victory on Tuesday night which bodes well for the former NSL giants.
The Stallions boast a bevy of attacking stars and could be a team to watch if they wake up from their attacking hibernation.
As proven in the opening round, this match could go either way with an upset on the cards.
Marconi will be determined to start the second half of their campaign with a win so expect plenty.
