As the final rounds of the season approach, who will still be fighting for a finals spot following this weekend's action?
Heidelberg United v Avondale
3:00 pm, Saturday 15 July, John Cain Memorial Park
Heidelberg lost to Altona last week, while Avondale convincingly defeated Dandenong Thunder.
The Bergers will be out to square the ledger against the Avengers this season, however, will have their work cut out for them against the top of the table side.
Heidelberg's midfield holding their own will be key to this clash with Josh Pin, Anthony Lesiotis, and Eoin Ashton coming up against George Mells, Joey Katebian, and Kristian Trajceski - all who can be dangerous around goal.
Avondale continued its high-scoring form in Round 21, scoring five goals against the Thunder with Stefan Zinni (two goals) the pick of the bunch.
Stefan Zinni (11 goals), Liam Boland (10 goals), Yousef Ahmed (10 goals), Zander Guy (9 goals), and George Ott (7 goals) are a formidable forward unit but if Heidelberg defenders Shunsuke Murakami, Ajdin Fetahagic, and Nick Apostolopoulos can restrict quality ball into the box, we will have a contest.
Kaine Sheppard should return to the starting lineup this week, while Anthony Theodoropoulos and Sean Ellis scored for the Bergers last week, providing more scoring options.
Avondale defeated Heidelberg 8-2 when they met in Round 9 in a massive victory at Avenger Park.
Can Heidelberg cause an almighty upset or will Avondale all but seal the 2023 premiership?
Bentleigh Greens v South Melbourne
3:00 pm, Saturday 15 July, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
In Round 21, South Melbourne slipped to third after drawing with Hume City, as Bentleigh lost to Oakleigh.
After only their second draw for the season, South will be determined to get back on the winners' list and make a statement against Bentleigh.
After scoring the equaliser last week, Max Mikkola will play upfront alongside Ajak Riak against Bentleigh's Stefan Brecevic and Alec Mills.
South midfielders Pat Langlois, Jack Painter-Andrews and Yagoub Mustafa have scored a combined 13 goals this season, but Bentleigh's Ben Carrigan and Mario Barcia will look to nullify their attacking fare and keep their side in the contest.
Bentleigh forwards will take some confidence in Hume City scoring two goals against South last week, while they were able to score against the quality Cannons' side in a close loss.
Chris Theodorakopoulos (6 goals) and Tom Strickland will come up against South full-backs Jake Marshall and Lirim Elmazi, while Moonib Adus and Lucas Derrick will look to outsmart Brad Norton and Ben Djiba on the wings.
Bentleigh is fighting to live another day in the NPLM, making this match a danger game for South, who is in a battle of their own for second place against Oakleigh.
South Melbourne defeated Bentleigh Greens 1-0 earlier in the season, Josh Wallen was the hero with his first half-goal proving the difference.
Can South Melbourne reclaim second place on the table or can Bentleigh breathe life into their season?
Port Melbourne v Oakleigh Cannons
5:30 pm, Saturday 15 July, JL Murphy Reserve
Port Melbourne defeated St Albans last Friday night, while Oakleigh took care of business against Bentleigh Greens.
Plenty is riding on this top-five clash with finals positions still up for grabs with five weeks remaining.
Port Melbourne will be confident heading into the clash that their front line can get the job done with Chris Duggan and Luca Tevere starring in last week's victory.
A combination of Duggan, Tevere, and Jackson Courtney-Perkins will need to contend with Oakleigh full-backs Brodie Boyce and Anton Mlinaric who have proved they are a force to be reckoned with this season.
Port Melbourne full-backs Jalil Regague and Ross Archibald will come up against Oakleigh's Alex Salmon, who has scored in six of his past seven matches, while Alex Fiechtner has also proved a dangerous option up front with seven goals for the season.
Oakleigh has been riding a wave of momentum of late which has seen them rise to the second spot, but the Port Melbourne midfield will be much harder to overcome.
Joe Guest will play his usual attacking midfield role for Oakleigh, while, Oliver Kubilay and Cam McGilp will play more defensively and Stefan Valentini and Dylan Clark will provide an attacking flair on the wing. Dan Edwards was terrific last week for Port Melbourne, providing defensive, while Valil Cesnik and Anthony Ianchello will toil hard.
Oakleigh got the best of Port Melbourne when they met earlier in the year with the Cannons winning 3-2 in front of their home crowd.
Can Oakleigh solidify second place or will Port Melbourne close the gap on the top four?
Hume City v Green Gully
6:30 pm, Saturday 15 July, Hume City Stadium
Hume City split the points with South Melbourne in Round 21 in a gallant effort and Green Gully also drew with Moreland City.
Green Gully was outplayed last week against Moreland City and will be determined to return to the winners' list this week.
The dangerous Pierce Waring will play up front for the Cavaliers and will need to overcome Hume full-backs Hayden Tennant and Birhan Elibol.
After heroics against South Melbourne, Hume City will be relying on Josh Gulevski to find the back of the net for the second week running but will need to get past Green Gully full-backs Jordan Lampard and Abdelrahman Kuku, while Justin Spiriotiu and Taylor Schrivers will look to contain wingers Hume wingers Jawad Rezai and Matthew Lazarides.
Green Gully appears too strong through the midfield with Josh Hope, Luc Jeggo, and Danny Kim hungry to avenge last week's defeat, but Hume's Ben Bowler, Umut Bozdugan, and Josh Bingham should hold their own.
Hume City took home the points in Round 9, defeating the Cavaliers 3-1 away from home.
Can Green Gully stay in touch with the top six or will Hume City continue to cause havoc on the run home?
Dandenong Thunder v North Geelong Warriors
7:15 pm, Saturday, 15 July, George Andrews Reserve
Dandenong was defeated by Avondale last week and North Geelong also went down to the Knights.
The Thunder still have a finals pulse, with victory paramount if they want to be in the conversation at the pointy end.
Dandenong will be hoping forwards Kasper Hallam and Josh Karantz can find the back of the net, but
Warriors' defenders Nikola Jurkovic and Anthony Banovac will have their hands full with Kasper Hallam and Josh Karantz, while crafty winger Leo Mazis will look to get the best of North Geelong's Charlie Fleming.
Luke Zivcic and Lochie McGrath have provided a forward spark for North Geelong in recent weeks, while Nelson Salvatore will give the Warriors plenty of run on the wing.
The Dandenong defence of Harry Ascroft, Luke Adams, and Alex Baker should be too strong, but with relegation on the line for North Geelong, anything is possible.
The Thunder will look to control possession through midfield with Grad Damen, Jay Davies, Kieran Dover, and Scott Lochhead likely too much class for Ibrahim Mohamed and Aden Gardner, and Ryan Opperman,
The Thunder just got over the line against North Geelong in Round 9, defeating the Warriors 2-1 on the road.
Can North Geelong cause an upset or will Dandenong keep its finals hopes alive?
St Albans v Altona Magic
3:00 pm, Sunday, 16 July, Churchill Reserve
St Albans went down to Port Melbourne in Round 21, as Altona scrapped past Heidelberg 3-2.
The Magic are back inside the top six and need to keep winning to ensure their spot in the finals equation.
St Albans' full-backs Sean Timmins and Chris Dib will need to curtail the influence of NPLM Golden Boot leader Jonas Markovski, while winger Tommy Semmy will cause havoc on the wings for Altona with his direct runs into the box.
Mid-season signing Dylan McGlade will play up front for St Albans and will hope this week he registers his first goal for the Saints.
The St Albans midfield will look to limit the supply to the dangerous Magic attack with Brian Summerskill providing defensive cover, while Michael Grgic should shoulder the load through the middle of the pitch.
Altona midfielder Cian Cuba showed his attacking ability last week, scoring in the tight victory over the Bergers. Ashton Ahluwalia has been in great form of late, being named joint NPLM Player of the Month and Daniel Duzel also provides a steady hand.
Altona defeated St Albans 5-1 earlier in the season with five different goal-scorers.
Can Altona cement their spot in the top four or will they open the door for other sides to leapfrog them?
Melbourne Knights v Moreland City
4:00 pm, Sunday, 16 July, Knights Stadium
Moreland City put in a massive effort to split the points with Green Gully last Saturday and the Knights picked up three points against the Warriors.
The Knights got mid-season recruit Lars Kinnander off the mark last week and will be full of confidence ahead of this week's clash. Mohammed Sumaoro and Gevaro Nepomuceno will also pose a threat on the wings for the Knights, while Ciaran Bramwell has led the way on the scoring front with seven goals for the season.
Fletcher Fulton and James Hooper will be Moreland's main hopes up forward, although it was midfielder Corey Thomas who found the back of the net last week.
With relegation on the line for Moreland, they will likely throw everything at this contest, but with the Franjic brothers, Josh Phelps and Jack Morton in defence for the Knights, they will find it difficult to get quality shots on goal.
Moreland's Corey Thomas, Jamie Latham, and Jaiden Brown will put up a fight, but Knights' Luka Kolic, Anthony Duzel, and Mitch Hore could be too strong for the cellar-dwelling side.
The Knights defeated Moreland 4-1 the last time they met with Gian Albano the star of the show with two goals.