A bumper weekend of men’s football is headlined by a top-four clash between Gold Coast Knights and Brisbane Roar in the NPL Queensland.
The Roar and Knights are both battling to keep pace with Peninsula Power, who are seven points clear at the top of the ladder.
The Power have won 14 out of 15 games this season but will be looking to bounce back this weekend against Moreton Bay United after losing 1-0 to Olympic FC last Saturday night.
Olympic now face local rivals Eastern Suburbs with an opportunity to leap-frog Brisbane Roar into second place.
Further north, fifth-placed Sunshine Coast Wanderers will come up against Gold Coast United with a spot in the top four up for grabs.
Elsewhere, bottom three clubs Brisbane Strikers, Redlands United and Magpies Crusaders will be in action on Saturday night as they look to lift themselves out of the relegation zone.
Feature Match
Brisbane Roar v Gold Coast Knights
Pride and points are on the line on Friday night as Brisbane Roar face bogey side Gold Coast Knights in Carrara.
The Roar, who have never beaten Knights in an NPL fixture, are currently second on the ladder, three points clear of Olympic and four points ahead of Knights.
The last time these two sides met, in April, the Knights came back from a goal down to win 2-1.
But Knights have dropped points over the past three weeks, drawing 3-3 with Brisbane Strikers in Round 15 and losing 3-1 to Capalaba FC last weekend.
After the draw with last-placed Strikers, Knights’ president Adrian Puljich labelled the result “an absolute disaster” and signalled that the Capalaba game would be a test “of whether we’ve learnt and grown as a team.”
For the Roar, who have won three on the trot, Friday night’s game could be an opportunity to slay the Knights and gain some ground on league-leaders Peninsula Power.
Match Details
Friday 23 July, 7:30pm
Croatian Sports Centre, Carrara
Key players:
Jheison Macuace (Gold Coast Knights): The Colombian striker has scored four goals in three games despite the Knights recent dip in form.
Louis Zabala (Brisbane Roar): The Roar captain earned a spot in the Team of the Week last weekend after a strong performance against Brisbane Strikers.