Round 25 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
Round 25 of the NPL Men’s NSW competition is set to pose some exhilarating clashes as each game becomes more and more meaningful at the season’s end.
Manly United FC vs Marconi Stallions
7:30pm, Friday 19 July, Cromer Park
To begin Round 25, Manly United will host the in-form Marconi Stallions in an intriguing match-up at Cromer Park.
Manly’s most recent game saw them beat the Western Sydney Wanderers thanks to a 62nd-minute Connor Rose goal, with the home side for this match sitting in 10th on the ladder.
Marconi, on the other hand, is currently the most in-form side in the league, currently unbeaten in their last six matches while winning five of those games.
After an important 2-1 win over St George City FA in Round 24, Marconi – led by the creative, exciting Marko Jesic – will be looking to continue their push for second on the ladder at Cromer Park on Friday night.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs Sydney FC
4:30pm, Saturday 20 July, Seymour Shaw
In one of the most important games of the season, Sutherland Sharks will take on Sydney FC in a nail biting relegation clash.
After back-to-back wins for the Central Coast Mariners, Sydney FC are currently bottom of the ladder on goal difference.
But with three other teams level with the Sky Blues on 21 points, and St George FC just two points ahead, a significant relegation battle is brewing.
Sutherland vs Sydney will be one of the most crucial games of this run-in, with a win for either team keeping them off the bottom of the ladder heading into Round 26.
With any points invaluable in the relegation battle, this will be an extremely tense, nervy and exciting encounter at Seymour Shaw.
Hills United FC vs NWS Spirit FC
7:00pm Saturday 20 July, Landen Stadium
Another side embroiled in the relegation battle will play later on Saturday night, taking on NWS Spirit in another crucial clash.
Hills United have suffered a loss of form in recent matches, having gained just one win in their last five games, and are currently sitting second-bottom on the ladder.
A win against NWS Spirit, who are currently in 11th six points ahead, would be highly significant in their bid to remain in the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
They will turn to the family duo of Yerasimakis Petratos and Dimitri Petratos to help them move towards safety, but will require a full team effort when taking on a well drilled Spirit side at home this weekend.
St George City FA vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC
7:15pm, Saturday 20 July, Penshurst Park
Moving towards the upper ends of the ladder, St George City will take on Western Sydney Wanderers in an important fixture in the race for finals.
St George is coming off two 2-1 defeats to Sydney FC and Marconi Stallions, the latter of which featured red-cards to centre-back duo Solomon-Johnn Monohan-Vaiika and Matthew Keremelevski, making them both ineligible for this game.
Their opponents will be looking to capitalise on the absence of two key members of St George’s backline and bring a seven-game winless run to an end on Saturday night.
The Wanderers are still finals contenders, being five points clear of the top six, but will need to find form instantly to scrape into contention and knock off seventh-placed St George.
It’s all to play for this weekend at Penshurst Park.
Sydney United 58 vs APIA Leichhardt FC
3:00pm, Sunday 21 July, Sydney United Sports Centre
APIA Leichhardt will be looking to avenge their Round 10 5-1 loss to rivals Sydney United 58 this weekend in a thoroughly exciting match-up at Sydney United Sports Centre.
United 58 are currently fifth on the ladder, four points off seventh-placed St George FA, and will be searching for victory after suffering back-to-back defeats against Blacktown City and Rockdale Ilinden.
The hosts will be aiming for a replica of the Round 10 match, which saw a brace from Patrick Antelmi, as well as goals from Aidan Milicevic, Matthew Hatch and Shunta Nakamura give them a memorable victory over their rivals.
Wollongong Wolves FC vs St George FC
3:00pm, Sunday 21 July, Albert Butler Memorial Park
Wollongong Wolves will take on St George FC in an intriguing clash in another of three Sunday 3pm fixtures.
The Wolves rebounded from a Round 23 defeat to Sydney Olympic with a strong draw against APIA Leichhardt last weekend, with Wollongong now in the top six by one point.
They will be looking to return to winning ways this weekend against an out-of-form St George side, who are now just two points clear of the four relegation contenders.
This would be the perfect week for St George to find form again, as they aim to avoid slipping into the bottom of the table battle, but they will face a strong Wolves side looking to secure their finals position for another week with a victory on Sunday afternoon.
Central Coast Mariners FC vs Blacktown City FC
3:00pm, Sunday 21 July, Pluim Park
The Central Coast Mariners will take on Blacktown City FC in an exciting encounter at Pluim Park.
The Mariners have moved off the bottom of the ladder with two vital victories in their last two matches, defeating APIA Leichhardt and Sydney Olympic to move to 14th on the table.
However, they will need to continue their form to stay out of relegation contention – they’re currently safe just on goal difference – and will be facing a strong Blacktown City side this weekend.
Sydney Olympic FC vs Rockdale Ilinden FC
5:00pm, Sunday 21 July, Nestrata Jubilee Stadium
To finish Round 25, Sydney Olympic will host league leaders Rockdale Ilinden at Nestrata Jubilee Stadium.
Rockdale picked up yet another victory in their most recent game, but their cohesive 4-0 thrashing of Sydney United 58 was overshadowed by a horror injury to Mathieu Cordier.
The away side for this match will be going into Round 25 with a nine-point lead at the top of the ladder and will know that another three points will move them closer to what is looking like a highly-likely 2024 Premiership.
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2024 Golden Boot Tally
28 – Alec Urosevski (Rockdale Ilinden)
16 – Jak O’Brien (Blacktown City)
15 – Ben Gibson (APIA)
15 – Roy O’Donovan (Sydney Olympic)
13 – Nathanael Blair (WSW) *Now transferred to Perth Glory
13 – James Temelkovski (Marconi)
12 – Marko Jesic (Marconi)
11 – Takumi Ofuka (Wollongong Wolves)
10 – Luka Smyth (CCM)
10 – Patrick Antelmi (Sydney United 58)
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
