Futsal Premier League Round 14 Preview
Futsal premier league round 14 features finals contenders Campbelltown against Enfield, Inner West play Phoenix, Dural host UTS, and Mascot tackle Mountain Majik at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre.
Dural will win a third straight premiership (fourth in five years) if they complete the job against UTS Northside at Dural Sport & Leisure Centre. It seems straight-forward except that premier league debutants UTS have churned out some stunning results this summer beating finals-bound Inner West (6-3), Campbelltown (7-2 last weekend) and only fell 2-1 to Dural when they met for the first time in December. Northside have also won four of their past five league matches to make this fixture extra interesting.
It’s all or nothing when Campbelltown Quake face Enfield Rovers at Minto Indoor Sports Centre. If either team wins big and Inner West implode a top-two spot can be gained, but a stalemate sees them face off again in the knockout semi-final. Campbelltown’s won five straight against Enfield (which had won the previous five encounters) to add a fascinating historical flavour, Quake winning tight 3-2 in round seven. Plus, Rovers ace Shervin Adeli needs one goal to equal Boomerangs star Daniel Fulton’s 24 league goals from 2011/12; a double will see Adeli break a league-high seven braces in one summer.
It’s an intriguing scenario when Inner West Magic face Phoenix Futsal Club at Valentine Sports Park. Crowned club champions Inner West can snatch first place from Dural if Magic win big against lowly Phoenix and Warriors fall badly to UTS, but an inexplicable loss could see Inner West tumble into an elimination semi-final bout next weekend. A surprise isn’t out of the question however as Phoenix has proved a handful for Magic, who’ve prevailed 3-1, 4-2, 3-2, 5-2 and 3-2 in five tight league contests.
It may not mean too much but Mascot Vipers and Mountain Majik should turn it on at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre. Majik have convincingly won all three meetings between the clubs but with nothing to play for this weekend you can probably expect a free-for-all, underlined by a staggering 37 goals scored in their three contests to date. Mountain won 7-4 at Valentine Sports Park in round seven and another exciting game is in the works.
Futsal State League semi finals
In State League at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre, Eastern Suburbs Hakoah play Raiders in the major semi-final while Sutherland Shire battle Sydney City Eagles in the knockout semi-final.
What a match-up between big guns Hakoah and Raiders. Both sides have gone on a 10-match winning run since their thrilling round-two 3-3 draw, unbeaten Easts grabbing the premiership in the end, and this result is well and truly up for grabs for two veteran clubs.
Sutherland enters their elimination semi-final with an edge over Sydney City having beaten them 3-2 in a catch-up game on Sunday that elevated Shire above Eagles on the final listings. Sutherland have also won seven of their last eight league fixtures while City lost their last two games to show a slight rattle, but you can never discount Sydney’s top-end experience.
