Round 10 Preview – Futsal Premier League 2 Open Men’s
Round 10 marks another exciting installment of the Futsal Premier League 2 Open Mens competition with the finals starting to firm into view. Four games are on the slate including our Match of the Round out at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre to help straighten out the finals picture.
Match of the Round: Sydney Futsal Club vs Dural Warriors, Saturday 23 November, 6:30pm, All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre
The Match of the Round sees top against bottom with Sydney Futsal Club hosting the unbeaten Dural Warriors at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre this weekend.
The quest for the invincible continues for Dural with their ninth straight victory in a 5-1 success against Phoenix Futsal Club down at The Centre. Sydney Futsal Club played their part in a wild 5-5 draw with West City Crusaders to share the points.
Leading the charge for Dural is futsal stalwarts Greg and Wade Giovenali. The latter struck a hat-trick to make it 19 for the season. Recently, Sam De Oliveira has been banging in the goals and it all adds up to trouble for the porous Sydney defense.
Sydney Futsal Club games have guaranteed goals this season. Last weekend saw ten with Alexander Nicolosi continued his stellar form with four goals to make it seven for the season. The home side will need a similar return to break the streak.
West City Crusaders vs SD Raiders Futsal Club, Saturday 23 November, 5:50pm, Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium
High flying SD Raiders Futsal take their form on the road against a dogged West City Crusaders at Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium in a vital clash for top four credentials.
Last time these two sides met SD Raiders Futsal won a pulsating contest 5-4 for their first win of the season. Since then, SD Raiders have reeled off five more wins including their 7-5 success last weekend. For West City Crusaders, they sit on the outside looking in after their 5-5 draw against Sydney Futsal Club.
SD Raiders Futsal have stormed up the competition and going into the final bend of the season are sat in second spot. They have found consistent goals from talented feet of Joshua Da Silva and Matthew Barkho with key contributions from their experienced hands will make them tough to beat.
The home side know they need to get a move on quickly. Crusaders are five points outside the top five with five games to go so will require a similar run to last year to make the finals. They have the firepower in Benjamin Lam, Abdul Mohseni and James Mawein to start that run on Saturday.
Phoenix Futsal Club vs South Coast Taipans, Saturday 23 November, 6:25pm, PCYC Hornsby
South Coast Taipans aim to rebound as they travel to PCYC Hornsby to face off against Phoenix Futsal Club in an intriguing fixture on Saturday night.
Both sides come off losses – Taipans were left to rue the sliding doors nature of the Futsal Premier League 2 in their 3-2 defeat to Sydney City Eagles. For Phoenix Futsal Club, they grafted hard but were swept aside by league leaders Dural, 5-1.
Finals are still in reach for the Taipans who agonisingly missed out last year. The Taipans will need to turn the odds in their favour after several close calls this season. If Bobby Mazevski can get his side up and about against Phoenix, they could only be a point out after the weekend.
Conversely, Phoenix Futsal Club haven’t quite got started this season. Every time they have strung together some good patches of play it hasn’t turned into victories for them. Despite their lowly position, teams have to be weary of the firepower in Angus Chance and Tom Louw in games.
Raiders Futsal Club vs Sydney City Eagles, Saturday 23 November, 6:40pm, Thomas Hassell Anglican College
Finishing off the weekend is a clash between third and fourth with Raiders Futsal Club hosting Sydney City Eagles at Thomas Hassell Anglican College.
The two sides come into the contest off contrasting form – Sydney City Eagles triumphed in last weekend’s Match of the Round 3-2 in an engrossing contest against Taipans. Raiders Futsal Club were on the wrong side of the 7-5 score line against SD Raiders Futsal.
Sydney City Eagles were vibrant in their performance against Taipans, much of that came from the energy brought in by mid-season recruits Patrick and Bruno Antelmi. The brothers linked well with Lachlan Rose and Aaron Cimitile which could help the Eagles soar late in the season.
Despite their dip in form, Raiders Futsal Club have clung onto the final spot in the top four. Raiders Futsal Club are an experienced side and can cement their spot. Led by Goran and Slaven Ljuboja they will look to complete the double against the Eagles.
By Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)
