SELECT Futsal Premier League 2 – Round 9 Open Men’s Preview
In a slightly shortened round, there is still plenty at stake for the six sides left to play in another fantastic round of games. The top four remains in doubt, as two of the outsiders looking in take on second and third while Sydney City aim to keep their undefeated streak alive in Redfern.
Match of the Round: Phoenix Futsal Club vs Raiders Futsal Club, Saturday 24 November, 6:50pm, PCYC Hornsby
This week’s Match of the Round heads north, off to PCYC Hornsby as third placed Phoenix Futsal Club hosts Raiders Futsal Club, looking to get back into the finals hunt on Saturday evening.
A shorthanded Phoenix Futsal Club went down 4-2 to West City Crusaders in last week’s feature contest while Raiders Futsal made the trip down to the nation’s capital, returned with a 4-2 loss to Boomerangs FS.
Elliot Jurd will welcome back a few troops for this clash, including Angus Chance, to help Phoenix Futsal consolidate their top four spot. Whilst last week wasn’t their best performance, if Jordan Smylie can knock a few goals home, they could put further distance between them and the chasing Raiders.
For the Raiders, momentum cruelled them against the Boomerangs. They led 2-1 at the break but a superb comeback from the home side saw them fall to back-to-back losses. Thankfully they are only three points from the top four, and with Anthony Tomelic in-form, we’re set for a fantastic encounter for the Match of the Round.
Sydney Futsal Club vs Sydney City Eagles, Saturday 24 November, 8:20pm, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence
Sydney Futsal Club are the next club to step up to the challenge of the undefeated Sydney City Eagles, welcoming them to Redfern for the late kick-off on Saturday evening.
It was a good week for the Eagles. They took their streak to eight, with a 7-1 mauling of the Taipans then moved into the semi-finals of the Futsal Cup, taking down SD Raiders on Tuesday night whilst Sydney were valiant but fell to their sixth defeat, 5-2 against SD Raiders.
In spurts this season, Sydney Futsal has shown they can compete against the competition heavyweights, they’ll need a full 50-minute effort against the Eagles. Nelson Louang-Amath has scored in back-to-back games and if Laith Al-Shdifat can keep them in the contest, the home side could cause the upset.
Coming off the mid-week excursion, the Eagles will want to continue their trend of fast starts with nine goals coming in the first half of their last three games. Central to that has been Aaron Cimitile, he has plundered 11 goals this season and will be keen to add to that tally on the weekend against the division’s bottom club.
West City Crusaders vs SD Raiders, Saturday 24 November, 5:50pm, Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium
West City Crusaders have a chance to spring in the top four, as they host a rejuvenated SD Raiders Futsal Saturday evening at Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium.
Both teams come into the game in prime form, Crusaders from their 4-2 Match of the Round victory against a solid Phoenix Futsal Club team. Meanwhile, SD Raiders made it back-to back successes with their 5-2 hit out against Sydney Futsal Club.
The Crusaders were impressive in the first half against Phoenix. Particularly, the work from Simon Zahra in the pivot role, providing some excellent balls for Kwadwo Boamah Addai and Ryan Faulkner. As their coach Ray Miller remarked after, the Crusaders have hit form at the right time for their finals chase.
After their slight blip against Taipans, SD Raiders roared back into form, eight goals scored in their last two successes. The form of Patrick Antelmi has been vital, in a side full of options meaning another massive contest is in the making to help sort out the top four.
Boomerangs vs South Coast Taipans was played Sunday afternoon, will be included in this weekend’s review.
-By Justin Davies
