The closeness at both ends of of the ladder means every result from here on in is vital as the countdown to the finals of PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria continues.
Port Melbourne Sharks v Green Gully
8:15pm, Friday August 15, 2015
JL Murphy Reserve, Port Melbourne
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #PMvGG #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
South Melbourne 4-2 Port Melbourne - Match Report
Green Gully 1-1 Pascoe Vale - Match Report
Form:
PM: WWDWL
GG: WLWWD
Last time they met:
Green Gully 1-2 Port Melbourne
With both teams eliminated from finals action and safe from relegation, the primary interest in this match is ladder position come the end of season. Positions seven to 11 are still up for grabs in the remaining rounds and a win for either team will put them in the box seat to end the season as best of the rest.
Port Melbourne (30, +3) and Green Gully (30, +2) are only four points above the lowest safe team from relegation, Oakleigh Cannons (26, -2). Port Melbourne took it up to champions South Melbourne last week while Gully's form line has been respectable, only one defeat in the last seven played.
Pascoe Vale v Melbourne Knights
8:30pm, Friday August 14, 2015
CB Smith Reserve, Fawkner
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #PVvMK #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
Green Gully 1-1 Pascoe Vale - Match Report
Melbourne Knights 2-0 Hume City - Match Report
Form:
PV: WWLDD
MK: WDWLW
Last time they met:
Melbourne Knights 1-0 Pascoe Vale
Melbourne Knights (47, +12) kept their top two aspirations alive with a comfortable win against Hume City last week, but will still need favours further up the table to have a shot at catching South Melbourne (49, +23) and Heidelberg (47, +21) who both have a game in hand.
Pascoe Vale will finish either fifth or sixth and may be tempted to keep their cards close to their chest in this one. If Knights are unable to claim second there is a strong possibility that this match-up will be one of the elimination finals. However a form line of three without a win may be Pascoe Vale's motivation to win here, particularly given their 34 goals for is currently the lowest of the six teams heading for finals.
Oakleigh Cannons v Werribee City
8:30pm, Friday, August 14, 2015
Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #OCvWC #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
Dandenong Thunder 1-0 Oakleigh Cannons - Match Report
Werribee City 2-1 Northcote City - Match Report
Form:
OC: DDLWL
WC: LLLLW
Last time they met:
Werribee City 2-1 Oakleigh Cannons
Oakleigh returns to the scene of its Westfield FFA Cup win against FNQ Heat to face a team motivated not by the bright lights of the national stage, but fear of relegation. The Cannons were well off the pace in losing to relegation candidate Dandenong Thunder last weekend, and coming off the high of FFA Cup progression, will their minds be on Werribee, or on the upcoming trip much further west to face MetroStars SC?
Werribee City broke its losing streak with just its third win of the season last Sunday, only to find out that North Geelong Warriors' draw with Heidelberg would leave it sitting second last and still in the automatic relegation places.
With the bottom three picking up seven of a possible nine points last weekend, the relegation battle is heating up. Werribee will be looking to put the pressure on its rivals by getting the weekend off to a positive start.
Avondale FC v South Melbourne
3:00pm, Saturday August 15, 2015
Avondale Heights Reserve, Avondale Heights
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #AFCvSM #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
Bentleigh Greens 1-1 Avondale FC - Match Report
South Melbourne 4-2 Port Melbourne Sharks - Match Report
Form:
AFC: LLWWD
SM: LWLDW
Last time they met:
South Melbourne 1-0 Avondale FC
Avondale has already had a major say in the title race after holding Bentleigh Greens to a 1-1 draw last weekend and now stands in the way of South Melbourne's chance to capitalise on the slip.
Second-placed South (49, +23) has a game in hand on Bentleigh Greens (52, +22) and will want nothing less than a win before their catch-up game against Hume City on Wednesday, August 19.
Avondale has the best defence of the eight teams missing finals, having conceded only 30 this season. Two of South's headline players, Milos Lujic and Nick Epifano, scored two goals each last weekend and will again be the key to South breaking down the Avondale unit.
North Geelong Warriors v Dandenong Thunder
3:00pm, Saturday August 15, 2015
Elcho Park, Lara
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #NGWvDT #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
Heidelberg United 3-3 North Geelong Warriors - Match Report
Dandenong Thunder 1-0 Oakleigh Cannons - Match Report
Form:
NGW: LWWLD
DT: LLLDW
Last time they met:
Dandenong Thunder 1-1 North Geelong Warriors
A relegation six-pointer pits the lowest "safe" team North Geelong (12th, 15 points, -27 goal difference) against Dandenong Thunder (14th, 15, -33) with both teams coming off impressive results.
Dandenong broke a 14-game winless run stretching back to April with last week's determined 1-0 victory against Oakleigh Cannons.
North Geelong nearly matched the result before a late Heidelberg United equaliser, then nearly lost to a gilt-edged Heidelberg chance at the end of stoppage time. The results mean both teams start level on points, with the reward being chased the chance to play off for survival rather than automatic relegation.
Given Dandenong Thunder's goal difference, a defeat here combined with a Werribee City win against Oakleigh Cannons would leave the Thunder with a monumental task in the final game.
Northcote City v Bentleigh Greens
3:00pm, Saturday August 15, 2015
John Cain Memorial Park, Thornbury
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #NCvBG #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
Werribee City 2-1 Northcote City - Match Report
Bentleigh Greens 1-1 Avondale FC - Match Report
Form:
NC: WDLDL
BG: DLWDD
Last time they met:
Bentleigh Greens 4-0 Northcote City
After dropping points to Avondale last weekend, Bentleigh cannot afford another slip-up when it heads to Northcote on Saturday. If South Melbourne wins on Friday night, Bentleigh will kick-off on Saturday in second place on the table.
Bentleigh's previously free-scoring style has dried up in the run to the line, scoring just seven goals in their last seven games. But a 4-0 win against Northcote City when the teams last met against Northcote in early May is the Greens' equal best score line of the season, a repeat of which Bentleigh would desperately love as the title race heats up.
Northcote's form may be waning, but a draw between Port Melbourne and Green Gully on Friday would mean they can jump into seventh at both teams' expense with a win here.
Heidelberg United v Hume City FC
4:00pm, Sunday August 16, 2015
Olympic Village, Heidelberg West
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #HUvHC #PS4NPLVIC
Last round:
Heidelberg United 3-3 North Geelong Warriors - Match Report
Melbourne Knights 2-0 Hume City - Match Report
Form:
HU: WLWLD
HC: WWWLL
Last time they met:
Hume City 1-1 Heidelberg United
Two of Victoria's remaining five Westfield FFA Cup participants square off in what is a must-win for Heidelberg to stand any chance of winning this year's league.
Heidelberg has a catch-up game against Green Gully back at Olympic Village on Wednesday, August 19 but must bank all three points on Sunday for the match to have any influence on the race.
A slip from South Melbourne on Friday could also leave the door ajar for Heidelberg to claim second place and a week off in the first round of finals.
Hume City will know Pascoe Vale's Saturday result at kick-off and whether or not they can climb into fifth with a win. A draw or defeat here will leave it highly likely that Hume will be facing off against the third-place finisher in elimination final week.
Catch-up games to be played on Wednesday, August 19, 2015
South Melbourne v Hume City
8:30pm, Lakeside Stadium, South Melbourne
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #SMvHC #PS4NPLVIC
Heidelberg United v Green Gully
8:30pm, Olympic Village, Heidelberg West
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria #HUvGG #PS4NPLVIC
Oakleigh Cannons v Avondale Heights
8:30pm, Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria #OCvAFC #PS4NPLVIC