This weekend marks the halfway point of the regular season. With the top six and relegation battle starting to take shape, who will be the big winners out of Round 13?
Bentleigh Greens v Avondale
7:30 pm, Friday 12 May, Kingston Health Soccer Complex
Avondale suffered its first defeat for the season at the hands of South Melbourne in Round 12, while Bentleigh fell just short of Altona at home.
The Greens are up against it this week as they are faced with the challenge of keeping the best attack in the league scoreless for the second consecutive week.
Manny Aguek (7 goals) has been in terrific goal-scoring form this season alongside winger Stefan Zinni (8 goals), but Bentleigh defenders Ben Carrigan, Alec Mills, and Alex Baker have been impressive of late and will make life hard for their opponents.
Forward Liam Boland has scored six goals so far this season, but hasn’t found the back of the net since Round 7; could this be the week he reaches a record-breaking 100 NPL goals?
Kristian Trajceski was absent from last week’s loss, and if he returns to the pitch, will make Avondale a much more potent side through the midfield.
Tom Strickland has been a stand-out for Bentleigh through the midfield, but coming up against the likes of Yitay Towns, Zander Guy, and Trajceski – may be too much to handle.
The two sides split the points last time they met with Ajak Riak (now South Melbourne) and Joey Katebian getting on the scoreboard.
Avondale will want to make a statement this week and return to the winners’ list, but will Bentleigh surprise the Avengers and hand them back-to-back defeats?
Melbourne Knights v Heidelberg United
7:30 pm, Saturday 12 May, Knights Stadium
Heidelberg will be full of confidence after claiming its first win in over a month, while the Knights affirmed its spot in the top four with a 1-0 victory over Dandenong.
Heidelberg’s attack looks ominous on paper with Kaine Sheppard – who scored in Round 12, Kenny Athiu, Jamie Wilson, and Josh Pinn all capable of turning the game in their favor – but heading into the midway part of the season the Bergers have the third worst scoring record.
Since arriving at the club at the end of last season, Ivan and Joseph Franjic have made an imprint on the Knights’ lineup- creating an impressive partnership with Josh Phelps in defence.
Anthony Duzel and Steve Whyte were crucial in last week’s victory and will come up against Ajdin Fetahagic and Josh Pinn in an intriguing midfield battle.
Knights forward Gian Albano (5 goals) has made the most dribbles this season, with Heidelberg’s Bilal Habib in second place.
The Knights have lost only one of their last eight games and are undefeated in their last five; the last time they went longer without a loss was a five-game stretch from April to May 2021.
Heidelberg defeated the Knights 3-2 the last time they met with Sean Ellis scoring the winning goal.
Can the Bergers in two on the trot for the first time this season or will the Knights hand them yet another defeat?
Green Gully v St Albans Saints
8:00 pm, Friday, 12 May, Green Gully Reserve
St Albans comfortably defeated Moreland in Round 12, and Green Gully went down to Heidelberg.
The Saints were able to find more outlets to goal last week, with George Ott being held goalless again. Despite not finding the back of the net for over a month, Ott is still an aerial threat – ranking in the top two for aerial duels won so far this season in the league.
If Jordan Lampard and Taylor Schrijvers can contain Ott’s influence on the game, the Cavaliers will go a long way in winning the match.
On the other end, Pierce Waring is leading the competition with 8 goals, while Josh Hope ( 7 goals) and Alan Gerez (4 goals) have also been dangerous.
Green Gully looks to have the stronger midfield heading into the match with NPLM April Player of the Month Josh Hope (7 goals), Luc Jeggo (2 goals), and Gianluca Iannucci (6 assists) creating a formidable trio this season.
St Albans’ Ivan Razumic got his name on the scoreboard last week after pushing forward, joining fellow midfielders Joey Monek and Brian Summerskill in finding the back of the net in 2023. If they are going to claim the three points against the Cavaliers, their midfielders will need to be heavily involved in forward chains again.
Green Gully defeated St Albans when they last met in Round 22 last season, with Alex Salmon (now at Oakleigh) and Nahuel Bonada scoring the goals.
Can St Albans restrict the Green Gully firepower and get a result?
Moreland City v Oakleigh Cannons
3:00 pm, Saturday, 13 May, CB Smith Reserve
Oakleigh won its sixth game of the year in the dominant victory over North Geelong Warriors, with many even contributors across the field while Moreland will go back to the drawing board after a loss to St Albans.
Moreland defenders Michael Tzoutzidis and Nicholas Bavcar will have their hands full this week trying to contain Alex Fiechtner (6 goals), Connor Hampson (5 goals), and the dangerous duo of Daniel Clark and Stefan Valentini (4 goals).
The Cannons have various outlets to goal, with an astonishing eight multiple-goal scorers including Wade Dekker who has scored in his last two matches. Oakleigh has only been kept goalless once this season – against South Melbourne.
Moreland’s Jamie Latham faces a tough test this week in the midfield against Cannons’ Joe Guest who is fresh off a best-on-ground performance against North Geelong.
Will Oakleigh be too good, or can Moreland score their first goal in three weeks and upset the defending Champions?
Altona Magic v Port Melbourne
6:15 pm, Saturday, 13 May, Paisley Park
In Round 12, Port Melbourne comfortably defeated Hume and Altona was able to get over the line against Bentleigh to set up a big 6 v 7 clash.
Altona’s Cian Cuba was named best on the ground last week and alongside Charlie Leech have formed an impressive partnership this season, playing every game together.
Valil Cesnik, Luka Tevere, and Dan Edwards have also played every match for the Sharks through midfield and it will certainly be an interesting contrast of styles when the two sides face off.
Port Melbourne star Jackson Courtney-Perkins missed last week’s clash with Hume and if fit, will return to the Sharks’ starting 11.
Tommy Semmy has been in scintillating form in recent weeks, scoring a goal in five of his past six matches, while fellow forward Jonas Markovski will need to be closely marked as he has found the back of the net seven times this season.
Altona will be working on their free kicks and corners this week as their opponents have conceded 10 goals from set pieces this season, among the worst records in the league.
Jalil Regague has risen to be one of the best young defenders in the league and alongside Ross Archibald and will be given the responsibility of stopping the Magic’s danger men.
The Magic will need to go work to ensure they halt the influence of Port Melbourne’s dangerous forwards, with Chris Duggan leading the way with seven for the season. Dor Jok has also stepped up in the last month with three goals to his name.
Port Melbourne defeated the Magic 4-1 when they last met, Chris Duggan, Valil Cesnik and Luka Tevere all got on their name on their scoresheet.
Will Port Melbourne’s class overpower the Magic or can Altona produce an upset?
Hume City v Dandenong Thunder
6:30 pm, Saturday, 13 May, Hume City Stadium
Dandenong Thunder fell just short of the Melbourne Knights last week and Hume City lost to Port Melbourne away from home.
The Thunder and Hume are both winless over the past fortnight – setting up this week as a great chance to get their seasons back on track in this 8 v 9 battle.
Kieran Dover and Grad Damen will likely play key defensive roles through the midfield this week with Lochhead positioned to play a more attacking style of play.
Mitch Cooper, Mark Ochieng and Ben Bowler will look to exploit the Thunder’s midfielders and give the likes of Dylan McGlade and Bingham a chance to score.
Dandenong’s front line has looked dangerous over the past two weeks, with only one goal to show for it. Josh Karantz and Leo Mazis have looked the most likely but have failed to fire.
Midfielder Scott Lochhead (Dandenong) has taken the most shots from outside the box in the league this season, though he is yet to find the back from long-range.
Jewa Rezai (5 goals) has been the most potent for Hume City this season with Josh Bingham (4 goals) not too far behind. The latter has logged more headed shots on target than any other player this season and will once again be a threat in the air this week.
Hume City defeated Dandenong 2-1 in Round 25 last season with Mark Ochieng scoring the match-winner.
Can either side prove they are a finals contender this week with an emphatic victory?
South Melbourne v North Geelong Warriors
4:00 pm, Sunday, 14 May, Lakeside Stadium
South Melbourne moved to be equal top of the table with a huge victory over Avondale last week, while North Geelong was comprehensively beaten by Oakleigh.
South has the best defensive record in the league (8 goals conceded) but their style of play sees them give up the most fouls per game – this could provide the Warriors an opportunity to trouble the joint league leaders through set pieces.
Despite being kept goalless last week by the Cannons, the Warriors were on a two-game unbeaten streak and scored at least one goal in each of its previous four matches.
Steve Fidele, Aden Gardner, and Nikola Jurkovic have all looked likely in recent weeks, but they come up against South’s defence led by Jake Marshall who has blocked the most shots in the league this season and will make life hard for his opponents again this week.
Midfielder Caleb Mikulic (North Geelong Warriors FC) has taken over 25 shots on goal this season, amongst the most of any player to not score a goal- could this be the week he breaks the drought?
North Geelong will need to be switched on this week as they have been their own worst enemy this season with more than five goals directly resulting from defensive errors this season – the most in the NPLM.
The Warriors will also need to contend with South’s potent forward line, who is full of confidence after seven wins in a row.
Max Mikkola scored a penalty last week to bring his season tally to seven, Ajak Riak has slotted home three goals, while Josh Wallen and Pat Langlois have found the back of the net twice.
Can the Warriors produce an almighty upset, or will South Melbourne win number 8 in a row?