VICTORIAN PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND 21 PREVIEW After a week off, the VPL returns this weekend with the hugely important Bentleigh v Green Gully contest to kick off Round 21. Bentleigh Greens v Green Gully Cavaliers Fri 8:15pm, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex 3rd v 5th Round 20 Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Bentleigh Greens Green Gully Cavaliers 3-0 Southern Stars VPL History Bentleigh Greens win: 6 Green Gully Cavaliers win: 20 Draw: 4 Last time they met: Green Gully Cavaliers 2-2 Bentleigh Greens Form Bentleigh Greens: LWLLW Green Gully Cavaliers: WWLDW Green meets green in a massive match for both clubs, as a win would all but secure a finals berth for either side. The Cavaliers are coming in fresh off their State Knockout Cup triumph last Sunday, where they outlasted Dandenong Thunder 3-1 to lift the Dockerty Cup for the fifth time. Bentleigh’s form has been indifferent, but its win away to Port Melbourne in Round 20 was special and showed its remarkable depth. Missing six of their starting 11, the odds were stacked against the Greens, but they rocked up with an intensity that the Sharks simply weren’t prepared to match. With the Greens set to regain some injured stars on Friday night, coach John Anastasiadis will have a pleasant headache at the selection table. Richmond v Southern Stars Fri 8:30pm, JL Murphy Reserve 11th v 12th Round 20 Richmond 3-2 Oakleigh Cannons Green Gully Cavaliers 3-0 Southern Stars VPL History Richmond win: 1 Southern Stars win: 1 Draw: 1 Last time they met: Southern Stars 1-4 Richmond Form Richmond: DLWDW Southern Stars: LLWLL For all its disappointments this season, Richmond’s impressive recent form has put in a position to avoid finishing in the bottom two. It is full of confidence, playing for pride and will be favoured to win its second consecutive home match against a Stars outfit which has no mathematical chance of avoiding last position. Tom Cahill has been one of the catalysts behind Richmond’s revival, scoring seven goals since joining from Green Gully mid-season. His two second-half goals ruined Oakleigh’s finals chances in Round 20, and he’ll be looking to increase his tally against a shaky Stars defence. Dandenong Thunder v Port Melbourne Sharks Sat 7:00pm, George Andrews Reserve 8th v 4th Round 20 Northcote City 2-1 Dandenong Thunder Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Bentleigh Greens VPL History Dandenong Thunder win: 3 Port Melbourne Sharks win: 2 Draw: 2 Last time they met: Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Dandenong Thunder Form Dandenong Thunder: WWDLL Port Melbourne Sharks: LWWWL The Sharks were toothless against Bentleigh and simply had an ordinary night after a hot streak. The week off will have them primed to bite back against their opponent, Dandenong Thunder, which was admirable in its last VPL match against Northcote City but exposed for a lack of class against Green Gully in the State Knockout Cup Final. Dandenong sits on equal points with Oakleigh and can still play finals, but will it be galvanised or broken from coming so close to winning another piece of silverware? South Melbourne v Northcote City Sat 8:00pm, Lakeside Stadium 6th v 1st Please note: Kick-off time for Under 21s is 4:00pm. Round 20 Melbourne Knights 2-1 South Melbourne Northcote City 2-1 Dandenong Thunder VPL History South Melbourne win: 1 Northcote City win: 4 Draw: 2 Last time they met: Northcote City 3-0 South Melbourne Form South Melbourne: DWWWL Northcote City: WLLWW These two sides set the pace early in the season and both find themselves close to their best at the end of the season. Question marks had been raised over Northcote City’s premiership credentials three weeks ago, but its resilience in the past fortnight was well summed up by coach Goran Lozanovski. “Championship sides don’t always play good football but they come out as a winner in the end,” Lozanovski said. Northcote City has shown it is up for the fight to win the title, and will go one step closer to adding to its silverware if it can beat South Melbourne and secure the minor premiership. It will be a difficult task however, with South Melbourne playing some quality football under Chris Taylor and proving to be a goalscoring machine at home this season. Northcote City has a top-two finish and second chance in the finals guaranteed, but it’s South Melbourne which has more to lose here. Hume City v Melbourne Knights Sun 3:00pm, Broadmeadows Valley Park 7th v 2nd Round 20 Pascoe Vale 1-1 Hume City Melbourne Knights 2-1 South Melbourne VPL History Hume City win: 4 Melbourne Knights win: 4 Draw: 1 Last time they met: Melbourne Knights 0-1 Hume City Form Hume City: LLLLD Melbourne Knights: LWWWW The Knights are all the rage at the moment, and there’s no reason to suggest why they can’t win the VPL title. They were below their best against South Melbourne in the derby, but again showed their maturity and class to withstand South’s pressure in the dying stages and pinch a dramatic late winner via usual hero Andrew Barisic. It’s almost hard to believe that their opponent, Hume City, left Knights Stadium a 1-0 winner earlier in the season. After sitting in second position six weeks ago, Hume City’s season has unravelled. To make matters worse, it will be without suspended captain and 2012 VPL Gold Medal winner Nick Hegarty for this must-win match. Oakleigh Cannons v Pascoe Vale Sun 3:15pm, Jack Edwards Reserve 9th v 10th Round 20 Richmond 3-2 Oakleigh Cannons Pascoe Vale 1-1 Hume City VPL History Oakleigh Cannons win: 1 Pascoe Vale win: 0 Draw: 1 Last time they met: Pascoe Vale 0-4 Oakleigh Cannons Form Oakleigh Cannons: WLLWL Pascoe Vale: WLDLD Oakleigh needs a miracle to play finals, but a win at home against 10th-placed Pascoe Vale will make teams above it nervous heading into the last round. Pascoe Vale is no easy beat however, and the Cannons will be without the services of Veton Korcari after he received two yellow cards against Richmond. In its draw with Hume City in its last outing, Pascoe Vale was unlucky not to grab the three points after missing numerous scoring chances. Oakleigh may have crushed Pascoe Vale the last time these two met, but current form suggests Sunday’s return fixture will be a more even contest. Leading goalscorers 16 – Milos Lujic (Northcote City) 13 – Luke Sherbon (Bentleigh Greens) 11 – Dusan Bosnjak (Oakleigh Cannons) 9 – Graham Hockless (Port Melbourne), Thomas Cahill (Richmond) 8 – Dean Piemonte (Northcote City), Goran Zoric (Oakleigh Cannons) 7 – James Kalifatidis (Northcote City), Turhan Sumbul (Hume City), Andrew Barisic (Melbourne Knights) 6 – Luke Bowen (Port Melbourne), Nick Hegarty (Hume City), Reece Vittiglia (Oakleigh Cannons), Luca Santilli (Pascoe Vale), Trent Rixon (South Melbourne), Luke Hopper (South Melbourne) 5 – Marijan Cvitkovic (Melbourne Knights), Michael Catalano (Northcote City), Jacob Colosimo (Melbourne Knights), Brent Fisher (Green Gully), Jason Hayne (Green Gully), Osagie Ederaro (Green Gully), Evan Kounavelis (Northcote City)
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 07:45:44 +0000
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