Just when we thought the fixture couldn’t get better, Greek Australian fans will be flocking to not one but three Greek derbies this week, with Heidelberg United and Oakleigh Cannons headlining proceedings.
Heidelberg felt the brunt of an inform South Melbourne, just when it thought it might have a strong advantage.
Heidelberg coach George Katsakis had to deal with a number of key players out thanks to injury, and South made sure they applied a huge amount of pressure for the young squad.
Steve Pace own goal was soon followed by goals from Mathew Theodore and Milos Lujic, as South Melbourne righted their poor performance of late.
They have been winless in the past two rounds, panicking fans who had enjoyed an 11 match winning streak.
That win should have made South Melbourne a shoe in for the FFA Cup qualification, but in their biggest upset to date, they fell to Melbourne Knights 2-0.
Heidelberg have an in form Cannons to take on, and will be feeling the underdog status on Sunday.
The Cannons almost got a clean sheet last week when they took on Goldburn Valley Suns. They were up 4-0 until a change in formation left a spot for the Suns to take advantage of.
Both Heidelberg and the Cannons will most definitely be using their match to see if they will need to hunt or be hunted at the end of the season.
At least for Heidelberg, the home advantage is to them which means the Oakleigh fortress is without its lucky charm.
Sitting at third and second spot respectively for quite some time, the pressure is on to claw away at the South Melbourne lead.
In another Greek derby this week, and its time for Port Melbourne Sharks to punch above their weight and give South Melbourne and run for their money.
Sitting at the bottom of the ladder for quite some time, the Sharks really haven’t had much consistency to hold on to, but last week’s 3-1 win against Dandenong Thunder will give the team a lot of hope.
They’ll be expecting South to be reeling from their FFA Cup elimination, and hoping for some changes in lineup.
If South’s star striker, Milos Lujic is back in form, it could spell disaster for the Sharks.
Northcote City will play Bentleigh Greens tonight, hoping to give the FFA Cup qualifiers a good test before their first match in July.
