The race for the National Premier Leagues NSW Premiership is set to go down to the wire and the pressure will be cranked up again during round 19.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers regained top spot for the first time since Round 9 and hold a two point advantage over Sydney Olympic FC.
The battle for a spot in the top five is also a tight battle with seven teams all with a shot of securing the last ticket to this season’s finals series
This big match this round is between fierce rivals Sydney United 58 and Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Sydney United Sports centre on Saturday afternoon.
Sydney United 58 FC v Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Saturday 2pm at Sydney United Sports Centre LIVE ON THE NPL FACEBOOK PAGE
There is no love lost when Sydney United 58 and Bonnyrigg White Eagles go head to head and fans can expect a gripping clash between these two heated rivals on Saturday.
Sydney United 58 suffered a shock defeat last time these two teams played each other but come into this game with four straight wins after a 3-1 defeat of Hakoah in Round 18.
Bonnyrigg also tasted victory in Round 18 as they held off Wollongong Wolves to claim a 1-0 win.
United 58 coach Miro Vlastelica has the Edensor Park based side playing the best football they have shown all season after taking over the job in May following the departure of Jason Culina.
If Vlastelica’s troops continue this impressive run they are sure to be a dark horse come finals time.
Striker Chris Payne is scoring at will and his prolific form in front of goal will create plenty of problems for Bonnyrigg’s inconsistent backline.
The White Eagles have had their own coaching issues with club legend Brian Brown stepping down after 10 seasons at the club as the side struggled to find the results “Bomber” had become renowned for leading the team to in previous years.
Former Brisbane Roar A-League Championship winner Milan Susak is the man to take the helm at Bonnyrigg Sports Club for the rest of the season and he will have a tough job ahead.
Susak will likely turn to Jewook Woo to help get the team out of the hole the find themselves in with his scoring feats one of few bright spots for the club.
Games between these two teams are never short of drama and you can expect plenty of that this weekend at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Sutherland Sharks FC v Manly United FC, 6.30pm Saturday at Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks will be determined to bounce back from last round’s disastrous result when they host Manly United on Saturday.
The Sharks felt the full wrath of APIA Leichhardt Tiger’s attacking force in a 6-2 loss.
Manly come into the match after a tough clash against Sydney FC and desperately need points to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
Grant Lee will hope a big week on the training paddock has helped revive his side from the malaise which cost them against title chasing APIA.
Manly will put their fitness and conditioning to the test with this match their second in four days.
With injuries playing a big part of their disappointing campaign, it will be interesting to see what coach Paul Dee has planned.
Both teams have a lot to play for and with only four games left in the season their is no room for error.
Expect a hard fought contest between these competitive outfits.
Hakoah Sydney City East FC v Blacktown City FC, 7pm Saturday at Hensley Athletic Field
Can Hakoah Sydney City East end their run of heartbreaking defeats when they host Blacktown City on Saturday Night.
The Gavin Rae coached Hakaoh have made losing close matches late in the contest their specialty this campaign much to the gaffer’s frustration. That and the recent TAFE NSW Waratah Cup loss will certainly be in the back of the Scotsman’s mind as the club hopes to change its fortunes around against a tough Blacktown City outfit.
It was the same story in Round 18 as Hakoah spurned an early 1-0 advantage to go down 3-1 to Sydney United 58.
It hasn’t been plain sailing for traditional competition powerhouse Blacktown City with the side failing to reach the heights of the past few seasons.
One player key to Hakoah’s chances is young striker Anthony Frangie.
Frangie is playing some of the best football of his near two seasons in the National Premier Leagues NSW competition and is a nightmare for opposition defenders.
Blacktown striker Joey Gibbs has been a consistent achiever for Mark Crittenden’s team and has continued to fight for his side week in week out with a high work rate and selfless play.
Gibbs has asserted his authority up front more so ever since the unfortunate season ending injury to prized attacker Mitchell Mallia.
While Blacktown is all but assured of a place in the finals, Hakoah has to pretty much win their last four games to sneak into the post season.
This game has the makings of an upset.
Wollongong Wolves FC v APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC, 7pm Saturday at WIN Stadium
Wollgongong’s finals hopes are hanging by a thread and only a win against league leaders and 2018 TAFE NSW Waratah Cup Champions APIA Leichhardt Tigers will be enough to keep their slim chances alive.
The Wolves were stunned 1-0 by Bonnyrigg White Eagles last round putting their top five aspirations on life support.
APIA on the other hand are in scary good form capped off by a 6-2 demolition of Sutherland Sharks in round 18.
That along with its 3-0 victory against Hakoah Sydney City East in the 2018 TAFE NSW Waratah Cup has begged the question, can anyone stop a red hot Tigers?
Wollongong need something special and will look to experienced stars Yuzo Tashiro, Nick Montgomery and Luke Wilkshire to create some magic. All three have played at the highest level and will need to use all their veteran nous to help get the Jacob Timapano coached team over the line.
Jordan Murray is in devastating for for APIA and will be out to add to his league leading 19 goals.
Murray is scoring goals for fun and will have his eyes set on beating Chris Payne’s 22 goal season for Sydney United 58 in 2016.
He also bagged a brace in the Cup Final last week as the former Wollongong star hopes to add further misery to the Wolves.
APIA are the short priced favourites for this match, but stranger things have happened in football and a desperate Wollongong team might just have enough to get the result.
Sydney FC v Sydney Olympic FC, 7.45pm Saturday at Lambert Park
Sydney FC will need to be at their very best to upset a Sydney Olympic side driven to reclaim top spot on the National Premier Leagues ladder.
The Young Sky Blue’s conditioning will be put to the test in this match with the side playing their second match in four days after arriving back in Sydney following their participation in a tournament in China.
Sadly for Sydney, Olympic won’t be holding back after they were stunned 1-0 by Rockdale City Suns allowing APIA to regain first place.
After the departure of Hassan Jalloh last month, the attacking workload has fallen squarely on the shoulders of Jeremy Cox.
Cox had a strong start to the campaign, however, just like the Sydney FC team he plays for, has fallen away as the campaign has gone on.
With only a few matches to go, Can the talented striker make his mark.
Olympic will also be looking to their striker to spark life back into their side with Spanish frontman Alejandro Sanchez key to their hopes of snatching the Premiership.
Olympic will expect to win this match against the leagues bottom ranked side, but Sydney FC have the power to decide the Premiership if they pull off an upset.
Rockdale City Suns FC v Marconi Stallions FC, 5pm Sunday at Ilinden Sports Centre – LIVE ON THE NPL FACEBOOK PAGE
With their finals hopes in their hands, Rockdale City Suns will be focused on holding off Marconi Stallions when they meet on Sunday.
The Suns are in fifth spot on the ladder after an upset win against former league leaders Sydney Olympic last week.
In round 19 they take on sixth placed Marconi Stallions who trail Rockdale by only two points after a 0-0 draw against Blacktown City a week ago.
It’s been an impressive turnaround from Rockdale since round twelve as Paul Reid’s team has gone from relegation battlers to being on the cusp of making the finals.
Alec Urosevski has received the plaudits all season and with good reason as the scintillating winger’s impressive form has often carried the Suns to victory.
Marconi will go into the game with a strong understanding of Urosevski’s abilities and will likely do everything they can to mark him out of the game.
Former A-League defender Marc Warren will be given the role of nullifying Rockdale’s star and his success in doing so should play a big role in deciding who takes home the win.
This is sure to be a tough clash and don’t be surprised to see a bit of extra physicality with the stakes so high.
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