A number of Greek NPL clubs face testing opposition in their Rd 17 home fixtures this weekend.

On late Saturday afternoon, it’s third versus fifth on the table as the Bentleigh Greens, under new senior coach John Gabrielson, host the Melbourne Knights. It will be Gabrielson’s fourth game in charge since the planned departure of long-time coach John Anastasiadis to the A-League.

Against the Knights, they come up against a team which has also had a recent coaching change, although in different circumstances with former coach Mick Collina making way for former player and now caretaker coach Marijan Cvitkovic after an indifferent run of results. The Knights will be keen to get their league campaign back on track after just one win in their last six matches.

This will be the Knights’ third game in little over a week and fatigue may be a factor working against them. However they will be buoyed by their mid-week 4-2 FFA Cup qualifier win over South Melbourne , and the man of that match, hat trick hero Hamish Watson, has already proven to be a match winner against the Greens this season, scoring a brace in the Knights’ 2-0 win over Bentleigh in their league meeting earlier this season. The Greens defence has conceded the most goals of all the top six sides, and coach Gabrielson and his team will be well aware of the attacking threat of Watson, Albano and new Knights’ signing Mohamad Awad.

Later on the same day, second placed Heidelberg United hosts a northern derby against fourth placed Hume City in what looms as the match of the round. Both teams enter the game with impressive league results. Host Heidelberg has just one defeat in its last 10 matches whilst Hume City has lost just once in its last nine starts in the league. Even more impressive is Hume City’s FFA Cup qualifying form having eliminated a trio of Greek teams, Heidelberg, Bentleigh Greens, and just last Tuesday, Oakleigh Cannons from this season’s FFA Cup competition.

Memories of the their recent FFA Cup Qualifier defeat to Hume will no doubt be used as motivation by Bergers coach George Katsakis in this match. In that remarkable match just over a month ago, at Olympic Village, Hume proved its resilience, coming from behind three times to eventually defeat the Bergers 5-4 thanks to a late Theo Markelis goal in extra time thus eliminating the Bergers from the cup. On that occasion, the Bergers rued some costly defensive errors and will no doubt feel strengthened by the return of keeper Chris Theodoridis and defender Josh Wilkins who were both absent in that game. In their earlier league meeting this season at ABD stadium, the Bergers won 2-1 thanks to goals to Tom Cahill and Alex Schiavo. Cahill also scored a hat trick in the recent FFA Cup loss to Hume.

On Sunday at Lakeside, South Melbourne fans will be hoping their team can bounce back from a deflating mid-week FFA Cup exit when they host league leaders Avondale.

Last Monday, Avondale returned to the winners’ circle thanks to a Liam Boland hat trick which steered his team to a 3-1 away win at bottom of the table Kingston City. That win broke a winless streak of four league matches for Avondale.

South’s squad will be strengthened by the availability of recent signings Peter Skapetis and Melvin Becket who were both cup tied in the recent FFA Cup Qualifier loss to the Knights mid-week. Both players had important roles in South’s win against Port Melbourne in last weekend’s round.

Port Melbourne Sharks host Pascoe Vale on Saturday whilst on Friday night Oakleigh Cannons hosts a local Greek derby against Kingston City.