Croydon FC vs Adelaide Blue Eagles
Venue: Jack Smith Park
Date: Friday 25 June 8:15 PM
The first of tonight’s double-header kicks off at Jack Smith Park at 8:15 pm, as the Kings host the winless Blue Eagles in a fixture between two sides sitting at the wrong end of the table.
Despite not moving up from 11th on the ladder, the Kings won their first league fixture in over two months last weekend with a dramatic come from behind victory over Campbelltown away from home, an injury-time winner sealing the 3-2 triumph.
Blue Eagles, meanwhile, are still hunting for their first NPL win of 2021, losing a narrow contest 1-0 to an in-form South Adelaide outfit to leave them marooned at the bottom of the table on one point.
Both sides enter the contest desperate for all three points, with Croydon now within touching distance of tenth and Blue Eagles risking falling more than ten points behind 11th with almost half the season gone.
Croydon Kings line-up: 1. Gianni Tramontin, 2. John Panagaris, 3. Filimon Asefa, 5. Luke Klimek (C), 6. Christopher Vivian, 7. Sebastian Goode, 8. Adam Martinello, 9. Nathan Munro, 11. Luis Benedetti, 12. Tatenda Nyaruwe, 13. Foribert Niyonkuru, 14. Peter Mercurio, 15. Domenic Costanzo, 18. Jarrod Brazzale, 19. Chikondi NYIRENDA, 20. Jared Clark, 21. John Hall (GK), 23. patrick caraccia
Coaches: Travis Dodd, Latham Byfield, Adam Vizzari
Team Staff: Mario Catalano, Joshua Avery
Adelaide Blue Eagles line-up: 1. Nikolas Harpas (GK), 2. Caleb Evans, 3. Aaron Bannister, 4. Christian Sotira, 6. Anik Warnakulasuriya, 7. Liam Mccabe, 8. Stefan Gluscevic, 9. jai esposito, 10. Hamish Mccabe, 12. Kody Maude, 14. Stanisa Velinov, 15. Christian D'Angelo, 16. Beau Ieraci, 18. Yohei Matsumoto, 19. Jake Tatarelli, 20. Isaac Mullen, 21. Alex Tsavalas, 25. Elias Mimidas
Coaches: VOJISLAV GLUSCEVIC, Jonathon Mccormack
Team Staff: James Keating, Josh Smith, Henry Lambert
Adelaide Comets vs Adelaide United
Venue: SA Athletics Stadium
Date: Friday 25 June 8:15 PM
Comets host United under lights at SA Athletics Stadium tonight in the second of the double-header with both sides aiming to dispel some indifferent recent form.
One win in their last five outings has seen the reigning minor premiers’ grip on top spot loosen, as their 1-1 draw against a Sturt side struggling for form saw them cede first place to Adelaide City.
United have fallen away after four straight victories, picking up two points in three matches since and most recently falling to a 2-0 defeat against MetroStars that saw them slide to sixth.
It’s a big match for both Comets, who are looking to cement themselves as bona fide contenders, and United, who aim to recapture their strong form, so this should be a great contest between the two clubs.
Adelaide Comets line-up: 1. Julian Torresan, 3. Manley Barnett, 4. Nathan Dimou, 5. Adam Le Cornu, 6. Jack Bladen, 7. John Karatzas, 8. Ryan Yates, 9. Andreas Wiens, 10. Anthony Mavrolambados, 11. Jayden LoBasso, 12. Lukas Ikonomopoulos, 14. Nathan Andijanto, 16. Ninko Beric, 18. Thomas Giannakopoulos, 19. Jaiden Diamantis, 21. Nikolas Ikonomopoulos, 22. Allan Welsh, 23. Scott Nagel, 31. Daniel Vaughan (GK), 77. Chris Christofilos
Coaches: Konstandinos Antoniou, James Guffogg, Dimitri Panagis, Matthew Bates
Team Staff: Evangelo Katsambis, Emma Gericke, Elsie Kenny
Adelaide United FC line-up: Calum Campbell, 19. Yaya Dukuly, 34. Yared Abetew, 35. Alhassan Toure, 37. Jonny Yull, 42. Fergus Lynch, 44. Arbi Mollas, 51. Binyam Kebede, 53. Noah Mcnamara, 55. Ethan Alagich, 57. Adam Leombruno, 58. Giuseppe Bovalina, 66. Nestor Irankunda, 80. Steven Hall
Coaches: Airton Andrioli, Elvis Markov, Vlado Blazeka, Joe Verringer
Team Staff: Will Mockridge, Justin Graetz, Katrina Smith
Cumberland United vs Sturt Lions
Venue: A. A. Bailey Reserve
Date: Saturday 26 June 3:00 PM
Cumberland were left reeling from their dismal result last weekend and enter tomorrow’s match against Sturt with a point to prove.
A 5-0 thrashing at the hands of City, the first time a side has put five goals in the net in the NPL this season, was a hammer blow to Cumberland that saw them fall from second and suffer a significant dent to their goal difference.
Sturt picked up their first point in almost a month last weekend in their 1-1 draw against Comets, breaking a run of three consecutive defeats, but still precariously sit two points above the bottom two.
The home side will see this match as an opportunity to atone for their disappointing display last weekend, while Sturt are searching for a first win in five matches and to put distance between themselves and the chasing pack below.
Cumberland United line-up: Jed Anderson, 1. Luke Schoen (GK), 2. Jack Schoen (C), 3. Joshua Harvey, 5. Sam Carmichael, 6. David Signore, 8. Harry Thannhauser, 9. JUAN GUTIERREZ, 10. Jumar Oakley, 11. Thomas Briscoe, 15. Ryan Wood, 17. Tom Dittmar, 18. Antoni Panagoulias, 19. Rocco Visconte, 20. Stavros Bakopanos, 22. Aristomenios Haralampopoulos, 23. Matthew Charalambous
Coaches: Neil Young, Mathew Balopitos, Matthew Prodanovski, Marijan Kolar
Team Staff: Jody Loomes, Sean Bushby, Steven O'Donnell
Sturt Lions line-up: Anthony Taylor, Luke Fusco, Michael Gravas, Jonathan Fusco (C), Gonzalo Rodriguez, Tom van der Hoeven, Toby Nelson, Daniel Snobl, Cooper Mullins, Jacob Atkinson, Jasper Donovan, Alexander Sortini, Daniel Solari, Caden Yates, Daniel Guastella, Taine Harding, Valentino Esposito, Cale Nagle, Bradley Davey, Akira Kobaishi, Brandon Centofanti, Samuel Voigt, Oliver Sigley, Samed Altundag, James Klappers (GK), Ben Woollard
Coaches: Lino Fusco, Frank Tibaldi, Gregory Videon, Michael Harkness
Team Staff: Ivan Piovesan, Jakson Messent, Andrew Ross
South Adelaide vs Adelaide City
Venue: O’Sullivan Beach Sports and Community Centre
Date: Saturday 26 June 3:00 PM
A clash that not many would have predicted to be a top of the table hit out, South host league leaders City tomorrow afternoon in a big match for both sides.
A 1-0 victory was all South needed to collect three points from their game against Blue Eagles, marking their third win in their last four matches, in which time they’ve picked up ten points and risen to third on the ladder.
Two places and one point above them is City, whose 5-0 demolition of Cumberland sent out a warning to the rest of the competition that they’ll be right in the mix for higher honours come the end of the season.
The winner of this match could claim top spot on the ladder as their own, so it represents a massive opportunity for the promoted Panthers to claim a big scalp and the high-flying Black and Whites to put further distance between themselves and their challengers.
South Adelaide line-up: Jack Rudge, 1. Ryan Veitch (GK), 3. Robert Parker (C), 5. Declan Gray, 6. Liam Wooding, 8. Daniel Hosking, 9. Brett Rayner, 11. Alexander Rideout, 13. Jai Conroy, 15. Jackson Stephens, 18. Blake Lindsay, 20. Jack Walker, 21. Jack Ellis, 24. Daniel Evans, 25. Callum Nissen, 31. Masaya Sasaki, 39. Awal Dut
Coaches: Andrew Calderbank, Anthony Rideout, Mitchell Daly, Fraser McLean
Team Staff: Wayne Harrington, Aniket Dhabade
Adelaide City line-up: 1. Alexander Woodlands (GK), 4. Matthew Halliday, 5. Thomas Brown, 6. Bradley Corbo, 9. Luka Chikwuba, 10. Nicholas Bucco, 11. Charlie Devereux, 13. Lachlan Barr, 14. Aladin Irabona, 20. Kur Kur, 33. Darcy Dawber, 45. Markus Orchard, 77. Asad Kasumovic
Coaches: Paul Pezos, Stavros Gelekis, Angelo Paul, Edward Scalzi
Team Staff: Fabian Garuccio
Campbelltown City vs Adelaide Croatia Raiders
Venue: Steve Woodcock Sports Centre
Date: Saturday 26 June 3:00 PM
A heartbreaking defeat last weekend is sure to spur Campbelltown on tomorrow against Raiders, who themselves salvaged a point to prevent a further fall down the table.
A stoppage-time strike saw Croydon snatch all three points at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre last weekend, handing the home side their first loss in five weeks and brought them back down to earth after a fine run of results.
Raiders, meanwhile, played out an entertaining 3-3 draw with Olympic, coming from 2-0 and 3-2 down to ensure the points were shared and marked their third straight match without defeat.
Campbelltown’s rescue operation after a slow start to the season has now taken a small hit with one point in two weeks, so they’ll be extra motivated this week, while Raiders will relish the opportunity to go head-to-head with a side level on wins, draws and losses (three apiece).
Campbelltown City line-up: 1. Jamie Signorello, 2. Shaun Harvey (C), 3. Liam Miller, 5. Julian Oscar Ionni, 7. Joel Allwright, 8. Alexander Mullen, 9. Marc Marino, 10. Luigi Ditroia, 12. Nicholas Francese, 14. Adam Piscioneri, 15. Antony Piscioneri, 16. Daniel Mullen, 17. Adam De Ieso, 18. Trey Williams, 20. Nicholas Harpas (GK), 23. Jake Halliday
Coaches: Iain Fyfe, Leslie Pogliacomi, Corey Artone, Ali Sadick
Team Staff: Agelo Kapnistis, Ryan Hanlon
Adelaide Croatia Raiders line-up: 1. Vincent Barbaro, 2. Jackson Walls, 5. Matthew Mullen, 6. Omari Didero, 7. Dylan Pickert, 8. Jagajeet shrestha Shrestha, 9. Massimo Falco, 10. Dion Kirk, 11. David Carosi, 12. Jacob Williams, 13. Nicholas Munro (GK), 15. Lansana Smith, 17. Harley Gepp, 20. Thanasis Lesi, 21. Jaxson Bullen, 22. Kelvin Kamburu, 26. James Temelkovski, 28. Nathan Hancock
Coaches: Terry Westwood, Steven Hughes, Michael Paleka
Team Staff: Antonio Vella, Lisa Feleppa, Luke Harris
MetroStars vs Adelaide Olympic
Venue: TK Shutter Reserve
Date: Saturday 26 June 3:00 PM
The hosts have been able to turn around a disappointing start to the season with a strong run of results, but come up against an Olympic side on the longest active unbeaten run in the league.
Three wins in their last four outings, all of which were clean sheets, have seen MetroStars climb to fifth on the ladder and away from the bottom, with their 2-0 victory over United their most recent positive result.
While Olympic are now unbeaten in seven matches and only Comets have lost fewer matches this season, five of those seven have been draws, with their 3-3 outcome against Raiders keeping them just two points above Croydon in 11th.
MetroStars will be keen to continue their impressive run of form, while Olympic are aiming to convert draws into wins and move further away from the drop zone to be safe come the end of the season.
MetroStars line-up: 1. Isaac Carmody (GK), 3. Luke Frangakis, 4. Justin Davis, 5. Timothy Henderson, 8. Rocky Callisto, 10. Anthony Solagna (C), 11. Ariath Piol, 12. Alessio Melisi, 14. Dylan Smith, 16. Francesco Schimizzi, 18. Fabian Barbiero, 19. Cooper O'Donnell, 20. Joshua Mori, 22. Hamish Gow, 23. Christian Esposito, 45. Jackson O'Donnell, 68. Kalilou Kamara
Coaches: Robert Saraceno, Nicholas Bouzalas, Adam Van Dommele, Michael Rende
Team Staff: Joseph Polisena, Patrick Pike, George Laoutaris
Adelaide Olympic line-up: Michael Cittadini, Joshua Kavenagh, Will Hendon, Chol Wel, 1. Lewis Moss (GK), 3. Paul Wilson, 4. Benkert Abdija, 6. Kristin Konstandopoulos, 7. Jacob Jones, 8. Jason Konstandopoulos, 9. Christos Pounendis, 10. Hirofumi Kochi, 12. Damian Ljujic, 13. Rastko Ljujic, 14. Fausto Erba (C), 20. Clifford Maina, 24. Panagiotis Manidakis, 44. Ioannis Simosis
Coaches: Yianni Stamatelopoulos, George Konstandopoulos, Lansana Conneh, Pal Prengaj
Team Staff: Konstandinos Dimas, Sumin Kim
Image: 80kms