This week, South Melbourne will welcome Bentleigh Greens in a heated derby as the NPL’s surprise-packed season continues. Last week, the hosts were held to a 0 – 0 draw against Hume City, losing ground in the hunt for Avondale who have impressed with their performances. Pancyprios, on the other hand, are coming off an away defeat to Cannons, which put a brake on the upward trajectory they seemed to have after the hiring of their new coach, Riccardo Marchioli.
But the “Greek” derbies don’t stop there. On Monday (17.04), last year’s champions, Cannons, welcome Port Melbourne. The Cannons are coming off an important 3-0 home win against Bentleigh and will definitely want to continue their… collection of three points which will keep them within touching distance of the top of the table. Chris Taylor is dealing with a number of injury problems that make the formation of the starting line-up a puzzle for strong solvers. The experienced manager will not have at his disposal, among others, Antonis Pantazopoulos and Alex Salmon. Two footballers who play a leading role in the way the Oakleigh team operates on the field.
Alexandros task is extremely difficult this week. The “Black and Yellow” will travel on Saturday (15.4) afternoon to Parkville where they will face the hottest team in the league right now which is none other than Avondale. The “Blues” have already scored 28 goals in 8 matches, causing terror in the defenses of all teams in the division. Giorgos Katsakis players will have to reach very high levels of performance if they want to have any luck against the “Italians”.
This week will be also a tough one for the “Greek” teams of NPL2. Third-placed Kingston City will host second-placed Preston Lions, looking to prove they are made for big things this year and potentially climb to the top of the table. Northcote will also face a tough but important task, welcoming this year’s very strong Pascoe Vale to. They will give everything for the win, which will keep them close to the top. On Monday (17.4), Brunswick City will travel to Bulleen to face the Lions and have the chance to move up the table.
Box Hill United’s task is expected to be difficult this week in the NPL3 Championship. The “Greek” team will welcome Melbourne Victory’s youngsters, who are in second place in the table after four games.
Equally demanding is the task of the “Greek” State League clubs this weekend. Yarraville hosts league leaders Strathmore while Springvale’s Aris takes on the White Eagles in a local derby that is expected to attract plenty of fans from both teams. Somewhat more passable should be considered the work of Malvern which will travel to the outskirts of the city of Melbourne to face Collingwood.
Sydney Olympic will have the chance to climb even higher in the New South Wales NPL Championship. On Saturday (15.4), the club will face the Central Coast youngsters away from home, who appear to be somewhat weakened compared to previous seasons.
THE NPL PROGRAM
Friday 14.04
Green Gully – Hume City 20:00
Altona Magic – St Albans Saints 20:30
Saturday 15.04
Avondale – Heidelberg United 15:00
Moreland City – Melbourne Knights 15:00
North Geelong Warriors – Dandenong Thunder 15:00
South Melbourne v Bentleigh Greens 15:30
Monday 17.04
Oakleigh Cannons – Port Melbourne Sharks 20:30
NPL – Ladder
1. Avondale 8 22
2. South Melbourne 8 19
3. Oakleigh Cannons 8 17
4. Green Gully 8 15
5. Melbourne Knights 8 14
6. Port Melbourne 8 12
7. Altona Magic 8 11
8. Hume City 8 10
9. Heidelberg United 8 8
10. Moreland City 8 8
11. St Albans Saints 8 7
12. Dandenong Thunder 8 7
13. Bentleigh Greens 8 3
14. North Geelong 8 3
THE NPL2 PROGRAM
Friday 14.04
Werribee City – Eastern Lions 20:15
Brunswick Juventus – Dandenong City 20:30
Saturday 15.04
Northcote City – Pascoe Vale 3pm
Langwarrin v Western United (Y) 15:00
Sunday 16.04
Melbourne City (Y) – Manningham United Blues 15:00
Monday 17.04
Kingston City – Preston Lions 20:15
Bulleen Lions – Brunswick City 20:15
NPL2 – Ladder
1. Western United (Y) 8 18
2. Preston Lions 8 17
3. Kingston City 8 16
4. Pascoe Vale 8 16
5. Langwarrin 8 13
6. Eastern Lions 8 12
7. Dandenong 8 11
8. Northcote City 7 10
9. Manningham 8 9
10. Werribee 8 9
11. Brunswick City 8 8
12. Brunswick Juventus 8 7
13. Bulleen 8 6
14. Melbourne City (Y) 7 4
THE NPL3 PROGRAM
Saturday 15.04
Beaumaris – Ballarat City 3pm
Goulburn Valley Suns – Essendon Royals 3pm
Nunawading – North Sunshine Eagles 15:00
Doveton v Boroondara Eagles 3pm
Box Hill United v Melbourne Victory (Y) 3.30pm
Geelong – Caroline Springs George Cross 6pm
NPL3 – Ladder
Race Teams. Grade
1. Nunawading 4 12
2. Melbourne Victory (Y) 4 12
3. North Sunshine 4 9
4. Beaumaris 4 7
5. Geelong 4 7
6. Goulburn Suns 4 6
7. Caroline Springs 4 6
8. Doveton 4 4
9. Box Hill 4 3
10. Boroondara 4 3
11. Essendon 4 1
12. Ballarat 4 0
