Only four teams remain in the NPL Victoria Mens, who will book their place in next weekend's NPLM Grand Final?
Avondale v Melbourne Knights Semi-Final Preview
SUMMARY
Avondale and Melbourne Knights will face off this Saturday afternoon in the first NPLM Semi-Final at Avenger Park.
The Knights came into the final series winning three of their past five matches, while Avondale last tasted defeat in Round 12 against South Melbourne – their only league loss of the season.
Last week, Ben Cahn’s men defeated Port Melbourne 2-0 to reach their first NPL Preliminary Final with Mitch Hore and Gian Albano finding the back of the net.
The Australia Cup Quarter Finalists will have a huge task ahead of them, winning six of their 13 away matches this season while Avondale is undefeated at home this season.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?
Round 7: Avondale 3-0 Melbourne Knights
Goals: Liam Boland (A) 28, 74 (P), Manny Aguek (A) 85
Round 20: Melbourne Knights 1-1 Avondale
Goals: Luca Kolic (MK) 21, Yousef Ahmed (A) 71 (P)
Avondale
Avondale has been sublime all season, scoring the most goals in a single season in NPL history, and have not been defeated since Round 12 when they went down to South Melbourne.
The Avengers earned themselves a bye in the first week of finals after finishing first on the table with 21 wins from 26 matches.
Despite being known for their attacking qualities,, Avondale also ranks second for goals conceded, proving they can withstand the pressure of fellow top teams in the competition.
With 90 goals for the season, Avondale has no shortage of goalscorers with Stefan Zinni leading the way with 13, Yusuf Ahmed has found the back of the net 11 times, while Liam Boland (10 goals) and Zander Guy (9 goals) are also amongst the league’s best.
George Mells and Kristian Trajceski are a force through midfield, alongside Joey Katebian and game-changer Liston Diaz who has been lethal off the bench.
Ayden Brice, Blake Carpenter, Dillon Jakupi, Kalilou Kamara and James Riccobene form the second-best defence in the league and are well supported by Thomas Manos in goals who has kept 10 clean sheets this season.
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights come into this cutthroat Preliminary Final on the back of a 2-0 victory against Port Melbourne Sharks in front of their home fans.
The victory marked their return to the top six in NPLM for the first time since 2015 after finishing fourth with 14 wins from 26 matches.
Knights' head coach Ben Cahn said his side is fully focused on building on Friday’s performance in a massive week for the club.
“We’re very happy with the performance and the result, Port Melbourne is a strong side and they’re always difficult to play against,” Cahn told the Melbourne Knights website.
“The boys were great, they trained at a high level all week and delivered a really strong performance."
The Knights have a very potent forward half with Ciaran Bramwell (8 goals) or 18-year-old teenage sensation Luka Kolic (5 goals) likely to start up front and link up with the Knights wide forwards.
Leading scorer Gian Albano (11 goals) will play on one of the wings, while Ben Cahn could also turn to Gevaro Nepomuceno (5 goals) and Mohammed Sumaoro (7 goals) to find the back of the net.
Melbourne Knights’ midfield of Steve Whyte, Mitch Hore and Anthony Duzel has been impressive this season, however, their defence is where they can take the ascendancy.
Knights captain Ivan Franjic has been superb all season, alongside Josh Phelps and Ben Collins in the heart of defence, with the latter impressing since coming into the side mid-season from Western United.
NPLM Semi-Final
Avondale v Melbourne Knights
Date: Saturday, September 1
Venue: Avenger Park
Kick-off Time: 2:30 pm (AEST)
Broadcast: NPL.TV
South Melbourne v Oakleigh Cannons Semi-Final Preview
SUMMARY
South Melbourne and Oakleigh Cannons will square off for a spot in the 2023 NPLM Final this Friday night in the first Semi Final.
Coming into the finals series, Oakleigh had only won two out of their past five matches, but they abolished all concern with a convincing 5-0 victory against Altona Magic in the first week of finals.
South Melbourne came into this clash winning four out of their last five NPLM matches, with their only defeat coming against top-of-the-table Avondale in Round 25; and should be feeling refreshed after having the week off.
South Melbourne have been incredibly strong at home this season, winning 10 out of their 11 matches at Lakeside Stadium, while the Cannons have won eight of their 13 matches away from home this campaign.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?
Round 7: Oakleigh Cannons 0-1 South Melbourne
Goals: Josh Wallen (SM) 54
Round 20: South Melbourne 0-2 Oakleigh Cannons
Goals: Oliver Kubilay (OC) 31, Alex Fiechtner (OC) 56
South Melbourne
South Melbourne will look to exact revenge for their defeat in the 2022 NPM Grand Final this weekend when they do battle with the Cannons.
Esteban Quintas' men finished second on the NPLM ladder with 26 wins and 67 points to their name.
In 2023, South boasted the best defence in the league, only conceding 21 goals for the season.
Javier Lopez had another stand-out season between the sticks, while Marco Jankovic and Brad Norton were admirable on the last line of defence along with Jake Marshall; who made 136 clearances - the most of any player in the competition and 15 more than the Cannons' best.
Marcus Schroen, Morgan Evans and Pat Langlois will spearhead the South midfield with Josh Wallen and Jack Painter-Andrews providing defensive cover.
Ajak Riak will likely play up front alongside Max Mikkola who both netted 10 goals for the season whilePat Langlois (8 goals) and Alan Webb (4 goals) have shown they can be dangerous when given the chance.
Mid-season signing Yagoub Mustafa (5 goals) is another option Quintas could turn to as the game wears on.
Oakleigh Cannons
Oakleigh is one step away from defending its title and will look to prove last year's NPLM Final demolition job of South Melbourne was no fluke.
Chris Taylor's men finished third at the conclusion of the home and away season with 18 wins from 26 matches.
The Cannons head into this weekend on the back of a convincing 5-0 victory against Altona Magic in the Elimination Final.
Alex Salmon was the hero last week, with four goals; scoring three inside the first 25 minutes of play.
The Cannons have the second-best attacking record in the league with Alex Salmon leading all-comers after the weekend with 13 goals for the season and Stefan Valentini is second with nine goals for the year.
Alex Fiechtner and Wade Dekker have found the back of the net eight times, while Chris Lucas has also scored on seven occasions - highlighting the goal-scoring options Chris Taylor has in his arsenal.
Oakleigh may have the second-best attack in the league, but their midfield is the envy of the competition with Joe Guest controlling central midfield and Oliver Kubilay providing defensive cover alongside Cameron McGilp.
The Cannons' defence led by Brodie Boyce and Anton Mlinaric has also been rock solid this season, conceding the third least number of goals in the competition and are well supported by attacking full-backs Connor Hampson and Emlyn Wellsmore
NPLM Semi-Final
South Melbourne v Oakleigh Cannons
Date: Friday, September 1
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Kick-off Time: 8:00 pm (AEST)
Broadcast: NPL.TV