Round 13 is set to be an exciting one as some of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s top teams face up as they look to gain valuable points for their 2022 campaigns.
With only three points separating first and seventh place on the league ladder, there is plenty on the line for the Premiership hopes of some of these sides.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC v Blacktown City FC
7:00pm, Friday 27th May, Popondetta Park
Mt Druitt Town Rangers will host fellow Western Sydney outfit Blacktown City to commence the Round 13 action on Friday night in what will be a hotly contested derby.
The Rangers have won only one game all season and will be hoping to be able to pull off a confidence boosting defeat of Blacktown City if they want to finish the season in a respectable position.
Blacktown City returned to winning ways in Round 12 after two consecutive losses and will need to keep getting wins if they want to stay in the premiership race.
Mitch Mallia was selected in the NPL NSW Men’s Team of the Week for Blacktown City after their Round 12 victory and will be looking to make magic happen again this week.
The first encounter between these two this season ended in a 4-2 victory to Blacktown, showing the goal-scoring capability of both teams.
Will Blacktown City secure a crucial three points or will Mt Druitt Town cause an upset and start to turn their season around?
Wollongong Wolves FC v Northbridge Bulls FC
7:30pm, Friday 27th May, WIN Stadium
Wollongong will be hoping to recreate their 4-0 victory from Round 2 when they face up against Northbridge Bulls for the second time this season, this time on their turf.
As they take to WIN Stadium the Wolves will have their faithful fans cheering them on as they try to close the gap on the ladder and work their way into finals contention.
A high-scoring loss to Sydney United 58 in Round 12 saw Wollongong come so close to victory but fall late in the match – a result they will certainly be looking to learn from.
While they fell to United 58, Wollongong’s Banri Kanaizumi was selected in the Round 12 Team of the Week and will be one to keep an eye on in this clash.
Northbridge Bulls, at the bottom of the ladder and coming off a 6-2 loss to Sydney FC, will be hoping they can slightly redeem themselves with a solid performance in Wollongong.
With only one win this season can Northbridge secure their second on a cold Friday night in Wollongong or will the Wolves be able to fight off the talented youngsters?
Manly United FC v APIA Leichhardt FC
7:00pm, Saturday 28th May, Cromer Park
It’s set to be an action-packed match as Manly United host APIA Leichhardt on Saturday evening at Cromer Park.
APIA Leichhardt managed a narrow 1-0 victory when the two sides matched up earlier in the season and will be hoping to put their goal-scoring prowess on display when they head out to the Northern Beaches.
Adam Griffiths’ Manly United squad currently have the strongest defence in the league, a feature that will surely be paramount in their game plan to defeat the Inner West team.
Alen Aganovic featured in the Team of the Week for Manly, while Diego Celis represented APIA Leichardt and both will likely impress in Round 13.
Both teams have plenty of talent spread all over the park and will put on an impressive display of football when they match up.
Given the tight nature of the table, a win to Manly would see them leapfrog APIA Leichhardt on the league ladder which is the perfect motivation to be in their best form.
Will Manly United be able to take out the powerhouse that is APIA Leichhardt or will the visitors upset Manly at home?
Marconi Stallions FC v Sydney FC
7:00pm, Saturday 28th May, Marconi Stadium
Marconi pulled off a gutsy 10-man defeat of Sutherland Sharks in Round 12 and will need to recreate that magic in order to defeat the hungry young team that is Sydney FC in this week’s ‘Match of the Round’.
The goal-scoring capability of Sydney FC is second-to-none in the league and, with two of their central defenders suspended, Marconi will need to pull out everything they have to stop them.
Sydney FC narrowly defeated the Stallions in their Round 2 clash and have proven they can score plenty more goals so will surely be looking to increase the gap when they face up on a cold Saturday night at ‘The Palace’.
Both sides have only lost twice throughout the 2022 NPL NSW Men’s season and will be fighting to keep that statistic when they match up.
Sydney FC will be leaning on their attacking superstars Jaiden Kucharski, Zac Sapsford and Clayton Taylor to score while Marconi will be leaning on Charles Lokolingoy, Domenic Costanzo, Marko Jesic and the hard-working Conor Evans.
With two very different styles of football it’s set to be an entertaining match as Marconi look to knock the league leaders off the top of the table and possibly secure the position themselves.
Sydney United 58 FC v Sutherland Sharks FC
3:00pm, Sunday 29th May, Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 finally returned to winning ways in Round 12 and will be hungry to do so in front of their home fans on Sunday afternoon.
A 4-3 victory over Wollongong in Round 12 proved that United 58 have the capability to score goals and win games and they will need to continue this form in order to stay competitive in the competition.
Chris Payne was crucial to United 58’s win and will be one to watch in this clash, along with Chris Lindsay who feature in the Team of the Week alongside Payne.
Sutherland head into the clash with two consecutive losses against 10-man teams as they struggle to find form or consistency in their 2022 campaign.
Under the new leadership of Luis Contigiani and Steve Gordon, Sutherland will be making the trip to Sydney United Sports Centre with the hopes of regrouping and finding some rhythm within their squad.
United 58 managed a 3-2 victory over the Sharks in Round 2, will they be able to do it again?
On a side note, United 58 will also pay tribute to its Croatian heritage as they celebrate the Statehood of their nation with the consulate General of Croatia to take the first kick of the game followed by some traditional dancing as part of the festivities.
Rockdale Ilinden FC v Sydney Olympic FC
4:00pm, Sunday 29th May, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
In what is always a fiery clash, Rockdale Ilinden will be hoping to return to form against Sydney Olympic on Sunday afternoon.
After fighting their way to the top of the league, Rockdale were promptly knocked back down and have lost both matches since they earned the top spot.
With barely any difference between the two sides on the league ladder it’s set to be a tight battle as both sides look to get back into the Premiership fight, and have plenty of potential to do so if they can secure three points this week.
Nikola Udjur and Nicholas Sorras both featured in the NPL NSW Team of the Week after their strong defensive display over Manly United in Round 12 and will need to recreate that performance if they want to hold out Rockdale.
In their first match up of the season the teams shared points in a 1-1 draw. Will someone be able to come out on top in this one or will they share the spoils again?