Round 9 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

Round Nine of the NPL Men’s NSW competition looks set to be exceptional, with eight exciting fixtures headlined by Rockdale Ilinden vs NWS Spirit.

St George FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC

7:30pm, Friday 4 April, Barton Park

An in-form St George FC side will open Round Nine of the NPL Men’s NSW competition when hosting Central Coast Mariners at Barton Park.

After three losses to start their season, St George FC have gone unbeaten in their last five matches, with their most recent result seeing them prevail 2-1 in the St George derby.

Bai Antoniou has proved crucial to their form, having five goals in their last five, and will head into this fixture with the aim of scoring for a fifth match in a row.

Their opponents Central Coast Mariners will be keen to return to football this weekend, after having their Round Eight clash with Sydney Olympic postponed due to rain, in what looks set to be an exciting opener to the weekend of football.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC vs Sydney Olympic FC

5:00pm, Saturday 5 April, Popondetta Park

Mt Druitt Town Rangers will take on Sydney Olympic in the earliest Saturday fixture.

The home side for this match ended a four-game run without a win last weekend, prevailing 2-0 over Sydney FC with key player Pedrinho supplying the first goal with another sensational strike from range.

They will be looking to begin this match strongly on Saturday, capitalising on their momentum and the fact that their opponents didn’t play last weekend.

With a squad chock-full of quality, Sydney Olympic will be the favourites this weekend, but Mt Druitt have what it takes to prevent the NPL Men’s NSW giants in what’s set to be a fantastic fixture at Popondetta Park.

Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs Sydney FC

3:00pm, Saturday 5 April, Wanderers Football Park

Western Sydney Wanderers will face off against fellow academy side Sydney FC in an exhilarating NPL Sydney Derby.

The sides currently sit bottom and third-bottom respectively, adding spice to an already flavourful fixture as both teams vie for bragging rights on the NPL Men’s NSW stage.

A win for Sydney FC would send them six points clear of the Wanderers, while the hosts would draw level with their rivals if they pick up three points, making this a crucial game for the early scrap to avoid the bottom-two spots.

With the likes of Nicholas Badolato, Ricky Fransen, Joe Lacey and Tiago Quintal set to feature, this will be a game full of quality, as the youth look to make their future stardom the present.

Blacktown City FC vs Sutherland Sharks FC

7:00pm, Saturday 5 April, Landen Stadium

Blacktown City will take on Sutherland Sharks in an exciting match at Landen Stadium on Saturday night.

Blacktown’s last match finished in a 1-1 draw with Manly United, as a 95th minute equaliser from Manly prevented the hosts from picking up their fourth win of the season.

Back at Landen Stadium once again, they will be striving for a victory over a quality side in Sutherland Sharks, who drew 1-1 with league leaders NWS Spirit FC last weekend.

Marconi Stallions FC vs St George City FA

7:00pm, Saturday 5 April, Marconi Stadium

An unbeaten Marconi Stallions will host a faltering St George City FA in an intriguing matchup at Marconi Stadium.

The reigning Champions made it three wins in a row last weekend with a 1-0 victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers thanks to an 87th minute own goal, continuing their unbeaten start to the season.

On the other hand, St Goerge City FA are coming off the back of a disappointing loss in the derby, and have been defeated in four of their last five matches, with their only points coming in a 1-0 victory over Mt Druitt Town Rangers.

St George City will be looking to avoid the bottom-two – being currently just two points off – with points this weekend, and end Marconi’s unbeaten run with what would be, on current form, a shock win away from home.

Sydney United 58 FC vs APIA Leichhardt FC

3:00pm, Sunday 6 April, Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 will take on APIA Leichhardt FC in a highly exciting fixture on Sunday afternoon.

United 58 are coming in off the back of an important 2-1 win away from home against Wollongong Wolves, where goals from Mason Wells and Mario Shabow saw them pick up just their second win of the season.

APIA Leichhardt, meanwhile, will be riding high after their sensational 4-3 triumph over Rockdale Ilinden, where extremely late goals from Joshua Symons and Seiya Kambayashi saw them prevail after going 3-2 down against their rivals.

In another big match for APIA, they will have to step up once more and do everything they can to make it five matches unbeaten, as they continue to push up the ladder.

Rockdale Ilinden FC vs NWS Spirit FC

3:00pm, Sunday 6 April, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden will be given no time to rest on their laurels following the disappointment of their clash against APIA, as they take on league leaders NWS Spirit at home on Sunday afternoon.

This is set to be an exhilarating clash at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre, with the home side needing a win to close down the six-point gap between them and Spirit, who are unbeaten at the top of the table.

The league leaders have picked up two draws in their last three games, but still are yet to lose, a feat they will be motivated to continue against the fortress that is Rockdale’s home ground.

With Alec Urosevski and Yu Okubo running riot up front for their respect sides, this match promises to be full of attacking football, quality and excitement.

Manly United FC vs Wollongong Wolves FC

5:00pm, Sunday 6 April, Cromer Park

Manly United will conclude Round Nine of the NPL Men’s NSW competition when taking on Wollongong Wolves at home.

Manly are sitting in a strong position on the ladder, with their 1-1 draw against Blacktown City seeing them retain fifth place, with teams behind pushing for a finals spot early in the season.

One of those sides is their opponents Wollongong Wolves, who, despite losing their last two games, can leapfrog Manly with a victory away from home this Sunday evening.

This fixture will be important in the race for finals, with two quality sides set to leave it all on the pitch to finish another rambunctious round of NPL Men’s NSW football.