Round 20 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
After another scintillating weekend of NPL Men’s NSW action, Round 20 looks to bring more excitement and intrigue, with the Premiership race firmly on at the top of the table.
Sydney FC vs APIA Leichhardt
7:30pm, Friday 20 June, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
A high-flying Sydney FC will open the weekend’s action when taking on APIA Leichhardt at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Friday night.
The Sky Blues come into this match off the back of a sensational 6-0 victory over Manly United, in which young gun Mathias Macallister scored an astonishing five goals, including a perfect hat-trick with his first three.
He will be the man to look out for in Round 20, as he looks to continue his scoring form against an APIA side who will be confident after beating Blacktown City last weekend to take them to just a point off third place.
With Sydney six points off the top six, a win in this match is crucial for their finals aspirations, and this promises to be a game full of exciting, attacking football.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs St George FC
4:00pm, Saturday 21 June, Seymour Shaw
The Sutherland Sharks will begin a succession of Saturday fixtures as they host St George FC at Seymour Shaw.
The Sharks couldn’t capitalise on any momentum from their Round 18 victory last weekend, going down to Sydney Olympic 2-1 despite an early goal from Yerasimakis Petratos.
St George FC, meanwhile, took a strong point from their game against reigning Champions Marconi Stallions, with a 96th minute equaliser from substitute Chan Yelchan sending their home fans into delirium.
Seven points off the top-six, they will need to continue their form into this week as they look to move closer towards a revered finals position.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC vs Manly United FC
5:00pm, Saturday 21 June, Popondetta Park
Mt Druitt Town Rangers will be looking to capitalise on a downtrodden Manly United side on Saturday evening as they attempt to steer clear of the bottom-two.
Currently second-bottom on the ladder, Mt Druitt haven’t experienced victory since Round Eight and are four points away from safety.
With their opponents coming off a 6-0 defeat, Mt Druitt will be looking to capitalise, but expect the away side to be up for this game, as they look to get their finals hopes back on track.
Sydney Olympic FC vs Marconi Stallions
5:00pm, Saturday 21 June, Jubilee Stadium
Sydney Olympic will welcome Marconi Stallions to Jubilee Stadium as the reigning Champions look to regain top spot on the ladder.
Marconi has slipped to second following their draw with St George FC last weekend, with Rockdale currently ahead on goal difference.
A win for them on Saturday evening is vital in their Premiership hopes, but Olympic won’t be an easy task, with the home side on a four-match unbeaten run.
Olympic will be keen to prove their quality against one of the NPL Men’s NSW’s best sides, but the focus is on Marconi to see how they recover after dropping points in both of their last matches.
NWS Spirit FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC
5:30pm, Saturday 21 June, Christie Park
NWS Spirit will be looking to rebound from a disappointing defeat to St George City when facing off against the Western Sydney Wanderers in a later Saturday evening fixture.
Spirit threw away a two-goal lead in the final 15 minutes last weekend, conceding three in that time period to suffer a 3-2 defeat.
The Wanderers, meanwhile, are coming off back-to-back defeats, with their most recent game a 3-0 loss to Sydney United 58, as they sit awkwardly in third-bottom on the ladder.
Playing against third, they will have no choice but to come into this match with confidence, in what is set to be an exciting, fast-paced fixture at Christie Park.
Wollongong Wolves FC vs Rockdale Ilinden FC
7:00pm, Saturday 21 June, WIN Stadium
To conclude Saturday’s fixtures, Wollongong Wolves will host new league leaders Rockdale Ilinden at WIN Stadium.
Rockdale backed up their significant win over Marconi Stallions with a scintillating 4-0 victory against Mt Druitt, which featured goals from Matthew Keremelevski, Chris McStay, Moudi Najjar and Michael Marcevski.
Now top of the ladder, they will have the task of retaining that position, which begins with an exciting fixture against a quality Wolves outfit.
Wollongong have already defeated Marconi this season, and will be looking to add another victory over the top-placed NPL Men’s NSW side to their resume as they push for the top-six.
Central Coast Mariners FC vs Sydney United 58 FC
3:00pm, Sunday 22 June, Pluim Park
The Central Coast Mariners will take on Sydney United 58 as they continue to search for a way off the bottom of the ladder.
After picking up a point against Manly, the Mariners suffered another defeat last weekend, losing 2-0 to Wollongong at home.
Hosting United 58 on Sunday, they will be aiming to find a better result, but will find that a hard task against the high-flying away side, who have moved to fifth on the ladder with a victory over Western Sydney last weekend.
With five league victories in a row – seven including the Cup – United 58 will be favourites going into this match, as they look to push the top-four and continue to cement their finals position.
Blacktown City FC vs St George City FA
3:00pm, Sunday 22 June, Landen Stadium
Blacktown City will be looking to rebound from a poor period of form when taking on St George City at home on Sunday afternoon.
Blacktown have lost three of their last five league games – albeit against the top-four – and will be looking to return to winning ways this weekend.
Now in sixth place, they are six points clear of the teams below them looking to move into a finals place, but need a result here to keep the likes of Sydney FC and St George clear.
St George, on the other hand, ended a stretch of five games without a win with a stunning late comeback against NWS Spirit last weekend, and will be looking to capitalise on Blacktown’s poor form with a victory away from home on Sunday afternoon.
