PS4 NPL Victoria Preview: Round 19

Preview all seven matches in Round 19 of PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria.

Hume City v Dandenong Thunder
8:30pm, Friday, July 3, 2015
ABD Stadium Broadmeadows Valley Park, Westmeadows
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎HCvDT ‪#‎PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
North Geelong Warriors 0-1 Hume City
Dandenong Thunder 1-2 Melbourne Knights

Form:
HC:DDLWW
DT: DLLLL

Last time they met:
Dandenong Thunder 0-2 Hume City

It's been a good couple of weeks for Hume City, defeating Oakleigh and North Geelong, as well as qualifying for the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32. Hume also holds a seven point gap to seventh, meaning a finals spot is almost secured, but the season will only get busy from here.

Goals continue to be an issue, and the hosts need to put their chances away against the league's leakiest defence to avoid any scares on the counter. The strikeforce is where Thunder's strength lies, and they will need the likes of Brodie Paterson to keep producing the goods if they are to get out of the relegation zone.

Thunder has now lost four in a row and time is beginning to run out for it to stay in the NPL. It will be a tall order for the visitors, who also haven't won away since the opening weekend.

 

Pascoe Vale v North Geelong Warriors 
8:30pm, Friday, July 3, 2015
CB Smith Reserve, Fawkner
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎PVvNGW #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Oakleigh Cannons 1-2 Pascoe Vale
North Geelong Warriors 0-1 Hume City

Form:
PV: WDDWW
NGW: LLWLL

Last time they met:
North Geelong Warriors 3-4 Pascoe Vale 

Pascoe Vale is unbeaten in five, and looking well poised to finish in the top six. Somewhat of a quiet achiever, Pascoe comes into this clash as favourites, with last week's win against Oakleigh sure to boost the side's confidence even more.

North Geelong needs to get anything it can out of this clash, with NPL1 football becoming more and more likely for the side next season as each winless week goes on. The Warriors simply struggle for goals, and only Werribee is worse than them for goals scored this season.

It will be difficult for the regional side, whose one solace is that they are only four points from 12th place, and a relegation play-off to save its season, but the clock is ticking.

 

Oakleigh Cannons v Port Melbourne Sharks 
8:30pm, Friday, July 3, 2015
Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #OCvPM #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Oakleigh Cannons 1-2 Pascoe Vale
Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Northcote City

Form:
OC: WDWLL
PM: LLLLL

Last time they met:
Port Melbourne 4-0 Oakleigh Cannons

The last time these two met, Oakleigh hadn't won a game and were comprehensively beaten by a Port Melbourne side who had made an impressionable start to the season. But the tides have turned since and the Cannons, under Arthur Papas' guidance, have made it into the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 and climbed up to eighth in the table, now above Port Melbourne.

Two losses in their last two games haven't helped the Cannons in their late finals push however, and they need to get back to winning ways to have any chance of clawing back the eight-point deficit to sixth place.

Port Melbourne are on a serious slide, and hasn't won in its last six games. It's only consolation is that the side remains seven points clear of the relegation play-off spot, giving Port a bit more time to turn things around. The Sharks will love a repeat of the last meeting between the two sides, but this Oakleigh side is a much different outfit.

 

South Melbourne v Heidelberg United
8:30pm, Friday, July 3, 2015
Lakeside Stadium, South Melbourne
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #SMvHU #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
South Melbourne 0-1 Bentleigh Greens
Heidelberg United 1-1 Avondale

Form:
SM: LWWWL
HU: WWWLD

Last time they met:
Heidelberg United 1-1 South Melbourne

This is a clash where nothing but a win would suffice for both clubs, as they aim to put a bad Round 18 behind them. With South four points and Heidelberg six points behind leaders Bentleigh after last week, neither team can afford to drop any more points, leaving this game as one of the defining moments of their seasons.

South's hasn't netted many goals since its 7-1 thrashing of North Geelong in Round 15, and losing wingers Andy Brennan and Nick Epifano hasn't helped. Frontman Milos Lujic is also without a league goal since May 16, a problem South must rectify soon.

Heidelberg also has striking issues of its own, and were denied a win late on against Avondale last week in their 1-1 draw. A draw was the result last time these two met, and one result neither side wants again.

 

Avondale FC v Northcote City 
3:00pm, Saturday, July 4, 2015
Avondale Heights Reserve, Avondale Heights
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎AFCvNC #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Heidelberg United 1-1 Avondale
Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Northcote City

Form:
AFC: DDDWD
NC: WLWLW

Last time they met:
Northcote City 2-3 Avondale FC

Avondale is unbeaten in its last five games, but four of them were draws, an issue which has the side sitting eight points off a finals spot. The side has struggled for a consistent run of goals, having only scored 19 in 18 games played this season, something the likes Francesco Stella, Mathew Sanders and Oleksiy Khrapko will need to rectify, especially against opponents Northcote.

The visitors were beaten by Avondale last time out, and going by their form pattern, are headed for the same result at Doyle Street. It's inconsistency which has frustrated Northcote this season, and it needs to get some sort of run together or miss out on finals.

Northcote only picked up its third clean sheet last week against Port Melbourne, if it repeats that shut out, it will go a long way towards collecting three points.

 

Green Gully v Bentleigh Greens
3:00pm, Saturday, July 4, 2015
Green Gully Reserve, Keilor Downs
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎GGvBG #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Werribee City 0-2 Green Gully
South Melbourne 0-1 Bentleigh Greens

Form:
GG:LLLWW
BG: WDWWW

Last time they met:
Bentleigh Greens 1-1 Green Gully

Green Gully has won its last two games, and Roddy Vargas' men loom as a bit of a tricky fixture for the high-flying Greens, especially after the last meeting between the two. One problem Gully doesn't have is scoring goals, and they are the fourth best attack in the league.

Liam Boland has notched a total of seven goals already this season, while Matthew Breeze has scored three goals in the last two games. The Greens will hope their watertight defence remains intact on Saturday, after picking up nine clean sheets in 18 games.

Chris Lucas has taken over the goalscoring mantle since Matt Thurtell's injury, scoring a crucial winner last week against South Melbourne to increase the Greens' lead at the top to four points. It's a gap at the top of the table they won't want to relinquish, with not just a minor premiership to win, but also a spot in the national NPL finals.

 

Melbourne Knights v Werribee City 
3.00pm, Sunday, July 5, 2015
Knights Stadium, Sunshine
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#MKvWC #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Dandenong Thunder 1-2 Melbourne Knights       
Werribee City 0-2 Green Gully

Form:
MK: DWLWW
WC: DLLLL

Last time they met:
Werribee City 1-2 Melbourne Knights

Melbourne Knights go into the game with little to worry about but their own performance. Locked into fourth spot for the week, a win will only serve to help close the gap to whichever of South Melbourne or Heidelberg (or both) drop points in that clash this weekend.

Now on the back of two wins in a row, this weekend presents a good chance to head into its next four fixtures against Bentleigh, South, Green Gully and Heidelberg with a full head of steam, and possibly snatch a second place finish.

Werribee are in trouble, especially after losing to Gully last week. The Bees may have a tight defence, but they also have the worst attack in the league, and more worryingly have only picked up a point since Round 13. They will have to turn it around soon, with 11th place slipping further and further away with each loss.

 

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