Round 15 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s

After another entertaining round of football, the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition has a new league leader heading into Round 15.

Sydney Olympic have the top spot, and now have five teams biting at their heels within three points of them.

With some high-calibre matches to come over the long weekend, here’s what to expect in Round 15.

Manly United FC v Sydney FC

7:00pm, Friday 10th June, Cromer Park

In the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 15 Match of the Round Sydney FC will head to the Northern Beaches to take on Manly United.

A Bruno Mendes brace saw Manly United secure a win over Sutherland Sharks last round with the Brazilian goal scorer featuring in the NPL NSW Team of the Week for Round 14.

Sydney FC are coming off a 3-3 draw with the Wollongong Wolves, with goals coming from Luka Smyth, Jaiden Kucharski and Alen Harbas for the young sky blues, while Adrian Segecic was featured in the Team of the Week for another impressive performance.

Both sides have a wealth of talent and attacking prowess, but Manly United’s rock-solid defence will cause problems for Sydney FC and their prolific goal-scoring.

The last encounter saw a 2-2 draw but with only two points separating the two teams on the league ladder, they’ll be hoping for a valuable three points as they fight for the Premiership.

Sutherland Sharks FC v Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC

3:30pm, Saturday 11th June, Seymour Shaw

The Sutherland Sharks will host the Mt Druitt Town Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams have had less than ideal seasons, sitting in 10th and 11th place on the NPL NSW ladder with just one point separating them.

Jack Stewart will be one to watch for Mt Druitt Town as he’ll attempt to get some goals past Anthony Bouzanis as they look to get a win from the game.

While their chances of making finals football are incredibly slim, there’s plenty of opportunity for the teams to work on their gameplay.

After Sutherland nabbed a 3-2 victory over the Rangers in Round 4, Mt Druitt will be hoping to repay the favour at Seymour Shaw.

Sydney United 58 FC v Northbridge Bulls FC

3:00pm, Sunday 12th June, Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 and Northbridge Bulls will both take to their home field as they match up on Sunday afternoon.

After a huge 4-2 win for Northbridge in their first encounter this season, Sydney United 58 will be hungry for payback as they make a late run for finals contention.

The hosts will be looking to continue its momentum following a 2-0 victory over League Three outfit Hurstville FC in Round 6 of the Australia Cup on Tuesday meaning they’re one win away from getting through to the Round of 32 as well as the semi-finals of the Waratah Cup but standing in their way will be Northern Tigers.

A return from injury and fitness from a host of players have certainly helped Miro Vlastelica’s headaches which the club experienced earlier in the year so nothing less than a victory is what the home crowd will be expecting come Sunday.

At the bottom of the table, Northbridge Bulls will be able to use this match as great experience as their young players go head-to-head with one of the league’s most experienced teams, but will they be able to repeat history and pull off another win over United 58?

Blacktown City FC v APIA Leichhardt FC

3:00pm, Sunday 12th June, Blacktown City Sports Centre

In a huge clash, Blacktown City will host APIA Leichhardt on Sunday afternoon as the two league heavyweights head into battle.

With two points separating fourth-placed APIA Leichhardt and sixth-placed Blacktown City, it’s set to be a high-calibre, high-intensity clash.

Blacktown City dropped points in their draw with Marconi last round after a 96th minute goal took away their one-goal advantage, and they will certainly be looking to bounce back.

APIA Leichhardt had a different fate, with a 2-0 win over Rockdale with Sean Symons and Michael Kouta getting on the scoreboard in the victory.

Daniel Collins, Themba Muata-Marlow and Sean Symons all had impressive Round 14 performances, earning their places in the Team of the Week and the seasoned players will likely be key to the action on Sunday.

This game is a must-see for NPL fans and is set to be a cracking game.

Rockdale Ilinden FC v Marconi Stallions FC

4:00pm, Sunday 12th June, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

As Marconi make the trip out to Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon they will have only one thing on their minds: continuing their 10-game unbeaten run in the competition.

Roberto Speranza’s 96th minute stunner in their match with Blacktown saw Marconi nab a late draw to keep their run alive and saw the defender in the Team of the Week for Round 14.

Rockdale on the other hand have a string of losses to their name as they haven’t been able to secure any points in four matches.

While battling with injuries and missing players, Nikola Kuleski’s red card last week won’t do them any favours as he will have to sit out this clash, as will Marconi’s Nathan Millgate who also saw red last week.

The two sides settled their last encounter with a 2-2 draw, will they be able to break the difference this time?

Sydney Olympic FC v Wollongong Wolves FC

4:00pm, Monday 13th June, Belmore Sportsground

An in-form Sydney Olympic earned the top spot on the league ladder at the weekend and will be hoping to retain it when they go into battle with the Wollongong Wolves on Monday afternoon.

The public holiday match will provide plenty of action for football fans with the day off as the Wolves make the trip to Belmore and look to upset Olympic.

Darcy Burgess and Nikola Udjur represented Olympic in last round’s Team of the Week and have been impressive throughout the whole season, along with Roy O’Donovan who has provided a wealth of experience for the Belmore boys.

Leroy Jennings represented Wollongong in the team after scoring a brace in the Wolves’ draw with Sydney FC on Sunday.

Wollongong have had several high-scoring matches in the past few weeks but haven’t been able to secure a win since their defeat of Sutherland in Round 11.

Be sure to head to Belmore Sportsground or tune in to NPL.TV for this one as you won’t want to miss what is set to be an action-packed match.