West Adelaide travel to Bailey Reserve to tackle a wounded Cumberland United in search for another win in their Round 16 PlayStation 4 NPL South Australia encounter.
Cumberland United v West Adelaide
Cumberland sit at the foot of the league table, ten points in arrears of tenth place Blue Eagles and have struggled in the past month of football. The loss of their inspirational leader Jace Cummins through injury has compounded their predicament as they face the real possibility of relegation at season end.
The Foxes will be looking to try and recapture some of their early season form, where they showed glimpses of a team capable of producing some good football to keep their season alive.
Jackson Stephens and Mathew Hiern have been solid contributors in defence, and both will need to produce their best efforts if the Foxes are to defeat the visitors.
Cumberland have had some deficiencies through the middle of the park, and up front, where they have struggled to register a winning score. The lack of a genuine central striker has been evident all season, reflected by their paltry ten goals they have scored in fifteen-rounds, and this week their task won’t be any easier against a defence led by Robin Lippett.
The Foxes come up against a desperate West Adelaide side looking to cement their place in the top six on the league ladder. The fifth placed West Adelaide are just one game clear of eighth place Para Hills (the team that defeated them last round), so tight is the competition this season.
West’s coach Phil Stubbins, who has lost some talent off his team roster in recent weeks, will have to restructure his side to combat a Cumberland side that will bring a fight to the contest.
The Blue & Whites on paper look a formidable side with dangerous forwards Tommy Briscoe and Jonathan Rideout up front, while through the middle third, Samuel Tesfagabr, Eli Vlassis and Perry Mitris will provide plenty of forward assists.
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Adelaide United Youth v Para Hills Knights
In the Match of the Round, Adelaide United host Para Hills Knights in Round 16 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues at The Parks Football Centre on Sunday.
With both Clubs in touching distance of a crucial top six spot, ninth-placed Adelaide United and eighth Para Hills, will charge at taking the maximum points.
It was a close encounter when the two sides last met in Round 5, and they were both at the bottom of the table.
Despite an early lead through Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, the Reds fell to the Knights 1-2, courtesy of a brace by Yohei Matsumoto at The Paddocks.
A lot has changed since March, and now having unmasked their true power, both Clubs have shown they are capable of causing an upset and have proved many doubters wrong in several match-ups.
Adelaide United have a solid squad, with Hamish and Liam McCabe, Captain Josh Mori, Pacifique Niyongabire and Blake Carpenter, as well as a concrete defence including Jordan Maricic and Zak Waters.
But United will have to keep a close eye on the Knights’ danger-man Alex Mullen who has been lethal in front of goal, and is currently third on the golden boot standings with 11 goals.
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CLICK HERE for all of the Round 16 fixtures.