Round 22 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
Round 22 of the NPL Men’s NSW competition will feature some massive matches, with the Premiership, race for finals and battle to avoid relegation all continuing to heat up.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs Sydney Olympic FC
3:00pm, Saturday 4 July – Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers will take on Sydney Olympic to jointly open Round 22.
The Wanderers have struggled for form recently, with no wins in their last four games, albeit picking up two draws in that period.
Their most recent fixture saw them compete in a 3-3 thriller with Manly United, where a brace from Awan Lual and Lachlan Sattout saw them earn a point.
Meanwhile, Olympic picked up a massive win last weekend to move three points off second-bottom Blacktown City.
Goals from Panayioti Armenakas and Bailey Callaghan secured a vital three points over St George FC, and they will be looking to carry that momentum into this weekend.
UNSW FC vs Sydney FC
3:00pm, Saturday 4 July – The Village Green
In the other Saturday 3pm game, UNSW FC will take on Sydney FC in a big game at The Village Green.
The hosts for this match haven’t experienced victory since Round 22, and are in need of points to find form and avoid falling towards the bottom two.
They will be aiming for a positive result against a Sydney FC side that’s experienced a mightily impressive month, drawing with Marconi Stallions and defeating NWS Spirit, Wollongong Wolves FC, Sydney United 58 as well as their rescheduled midweek 1-0 victory over SD Raiders.
These big results have pushed them into a finals spot heading into Round 22, with the youthful side currently enjoying a strong 2026 NPL Men’s NSW campaign.
Manly United FC vs SD Raiders FC
5:00pm, Saturday 4 July – Cromer Park
Manly United will face off against SD Raiders in what promises to be an entertaining match-up at Cromer Park.
The two sides sit 11th and 10th respectively, with just two points separating them, and have both lost just one of their last five matches.
Manly are unbeaten in three, with draws against the Wanderers and Sydney United 58 supplementing a victory over St George FC, while SD Raiders have beaten St George City and Rockdale Ilinden, either side of a loss to United 58 as well as a Tuesday night defeat to Sydney FC.
With both teams coming into this clash in good form, this looks set to be an entertaining fixture between two confident footballing sides.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs APIA Leichhardt FC
5:30pm, Saturday 4 July – Seymour Shaw
To conclude Saturday’s fixtures, Sutherland Sharks will take on APIA Leichhardt at Seymour Shaw.
Sutherland has enjoyed a strong recent run of fixtures, with four victories in their last five games, and is currently fifth on the ladder, in a strong position to make finals.
APIA Leichhardt, meanwhile, also has four wins from their last five, but most recently were defeated 2-0 by Rockdale Ilinden in a disappointing performance which displaced them from the top of the ladder.
They will be requiring a strong response this weekend – off the back of their Waratah Cup Final on Wednesday night – to continue their charge for the Premiership.
Wollongong Wolves FC vs St George City FA
3:00pm, Sunday 5 July – Macedonia Park
Wollongong Wolves will be looking to end a barren run when hosting St George City at Macedonia Park on Sunday.
The Wolves have experienced five successive defeats, and have moved from having one foot in finals to being outside the top six.
Behind Sydney FC on goal difference, Wollongong will be keen to end a horror run and return to winning ways, and will aim to come out strongly against a St George City side who have lost just once in their last five matches.
Marconi Stallions FC vs St George FC
3:00pm, Sunday 5 July – Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions will be looking to remain on top of the table for another week when taking on St George FC on Sunday afternoon.
The famous Italian club took advantage of APIA Leichhardt’s defeat to move to the summit of the NPL Men’s NSW ladder thanks to a 2-0 victory over Blacktown City, with goals supplied by Jack Armson and Damien Tsekenis.
Marconi hasn’t experienced defeat since Round Nine – an astonishing run – and will be confident heading into their clash against St George FC.
The away side experienced a devastating home defeat to bottom-of-the-ladder Sydney Olympic last weekend, and still sit just one point off a bottom-two spot.
Blacktown City FC vs Sydney United 58 FC
3:00pm, Sunday 5 July – Landen Stadium
Blacktown City will host Sydney United 58 in a massive fixture at Landen Stadium.
The home side for this match currently sits second-bottom, and will come into Sunday with back-to-back defeats against APIA Leichhardt and Marconi Stallions.
With their tricky run of fixtures continuing against third-placed Sydney United 58, a positive result would be highly significant for the NPL Men’s NSW giant, as they look to avoid relegation.
United 58 experienced a disappointing defeat to Sydney FC last round, which prevented them from moving just two points off the top of the ladder.
The away side will be looking to respond with a statement victory this weekend, coming off the back of their Waratah Cup Final against APIA Leichhardt on Wednesday night.
Rockdale Ilinden FC vs NWS Spirit FC
3:00pm, Sunday 5 July – Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale Ilinden will host NWS Spirit in an exciting clash to jointly conclude Round 22 action.
The hosts for this match have been in strong form recently, with just one defeat across their last five games.
Their latest match saw them prevail 2-0 over APIA in an impressive performance, which featured goals from Lachlan Griffiths and Moudi Najjar.
Currently in fourth place, three points clear of Sutherland in fifth, they’ll be prioritising creating a gap between them and the sides below to end the season comfortably in a finals spot.
However, they’ll be taking on an NWS Spirit side hungry to build momentum after picking up two wins in their last three matches.
Spirit are currently in eighth spot – four points off the top six – making this a crucial clash for their finals ambitions in 2026.
-By Jack George
