Round 7 Preview – League Two Men’s

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Round seven of Football NSW League Two Men’s promises to deliver plenty of action with another weekend of intriguing matchups. 

With seven out of the 12 sides preparing for a midweek Australian Cup tie, there could be a few surprise results as the sides will look to rotate its players throughout the week.

Our Match of the Round takes us back to the home of Sydney University, as a match-up with Bankstown United awaits.

Saturday kicks off with a battle of Central Coast United and Inner West Hawks, Rydalmere look to continue its good form against Dunbar Rovers, as Macarthur Rams host Canterbury Bankstown.

Dulwich Hill locks horn with Gladesville Ryde as both sides aim to get back in the winner’s circle, capping off round seven is a blockbuster clash between Bankstown City and the undefeated Inter Lions.

 

Friday 22nd April 2022

Match of the Round: Sydney University SFC vs Bankstown United FC, 8:15pm @ Sydney University Football Ground

It’s an entertaining game for our match of the round, as Bankstown United look to rejuvenate its season against a fired up Sydney University.

United struggles to start the season came to the forefront with a 3-0 loss to Canterbury Bankstown last week.

It’s a head scratcher for many, considering the quality on and off the pitch around the club, United expected to be in a much better position at this point in the season.

However, it is still early days in a long season and United have shown flashes of the side many believed to be genuine contenders prior to the season.

Sydney Uni will look too add even more misery to United’s poor start, as they look to seal its second win in three weeks.

Last week’s outing against Inter proved Uni can go toe-to-toe with the elite in League Two and will consider itself unlucky to have been heading into this matchup with a two-game win streak.

If Peter Crevani and Jay Hirschowitz can build off their inspiring performances last week, Uni will feel confident of another win on Friday night.

United cannot be counted out of this fixture as they will look to get its first points since round one of the season.

 

Saturday 23rd April 2022

Central Coast United FC vs Inner West Hawks FC, 5pm @ Pluim Park

With the monkey off its back, Central Coast will look to take down an Inner West side that will feel confident of getting its first win of the season.

United made a point last week with an impressive 2-1 win over Dulwich Hill, improving heavily in defence to hold out the dangerous attack.

The hosts will look for more key standouts in its backline, as they finally look like they’re gelling across the park.

Daniel McFarlane’s notable performances lately have been a massive boost in the improvement of results for United and will be crucial on Saturday.

Although United will be flowing with confidence in this fixture, they will have to be wary of a Hawks side that has improved massively in the last couple of weeks.

After a tough 3-2 loss to Rydalmere in round six, the Hawks will once again be fired up for this match, as they aim to prove the doubters wrong.

The Hawks currently sit with just one point to its tally for 2022 and have come close on several occasions to adding on to that.

Although it’s been a rollercoaster like start to the season, with a couple of good performances under its belt, the Hawks may cause an upset in round seven.

The key factor in this game will be which side can remain consistent from last week’s performance.

 

Rydalmere Lions FC vs Dunbar Rovers FC, 7pm @ Rydalmere Park

On the heels of consecutive losses, Dunbar face the daunting task of travelling to Rydalmere to try an take down the Lions.

Dunbar’s 2-0 loss to Macarthur was a massive blow and one that may have been unwarranted considering the performance shown on the day.

With a mid-week cup tie with Fraser Park in sight, it’ll be interesting to see which players are rotated in order to have the best squad ready for the Saturday clash with Rydalmere.

The Rovers will be boosted by the fact that Rydalmere have conceded seven goals in the last three outings, however the Lions went on to win all three.

Dunbar’s fiery attack will look to reengage its fine form in this matchup, defensively they must almost be wary of a clinical Lions attack that has bagged 11 goals in its last three games.

The Lions are flying at the moment, holding off three impressive comebacks from their opponents to hang on for impressive wins.

Although it has been a team performance for each of its opening games, Ahmad Taleb’s recent form has been a standout for the Lions, proving his clinical nature in front of goal.

Rydalmere has shown it can dominant games for long periods and when given a sight of goal, they typically punish the opposing defence.

Although Rydalmere enter this match as favourites, it’s hard to think that Dunbar will lose a third straight game.

 

Macarthur Rams FC vs Canterbury Bankstown FC, 7pm @ Lynwood Park

Two sides fresh off bounce back wins faceoff, in what should be an entertaining clash in the southwest of the city.

Macarthur return home after a promising 2-0 win, where they took their chances and punished Dunbar in the process.

Christian Torelli put in his best display of the season with a goal and an assist and will be aiming to build on his form on Saturday night.

The Rams will heavily rely on its younger players, with a mountain of serious injuries and covid related issues plaguing the playing squad.

However, Macarthur have fought through this adversary in the last couple of weeks and should have plenty of confidence to get another positive result against the Berries.

Canterbury Bankstown are also full off confidence after a 3-0 comprehensive victory over local rivals Bankstown United.

It was undoubtedly their best team performance of the season and something that had to give coach Wally Savor plenty of hope in his squad.

The dynamic duo of Nathan Manno and Gabi Lopez will look to continue their stellar form against the Rams and will be top of the scouting report for their opposition.

The Berries early season defensive worries have seemingly been creased out and will look to assert its dominance early on in this matchup.

This match is the hardest to predict in round seven and should be a fascinating clash for both sets of fans.

 

Dulwich Hill FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 7pm @ Arlington Oval

Arlington Oval hosts an interesting clash between two sides reeling from a tough loss in the previous round.

The hosts, Dulwich Hill were denied a spirited comeback result against Central Coast United, as they seemed to lack its usually clinical nature in front of goal.

Coach Paris Svilicich will be hoping for a repeat of his sides showing in round five, as they aim to move past the disappointing loss last week.

On the other hand, Dulwich will be boosted by the fact they currently hold the league’s tied-best defensive record, with just five goals conceded in its first six games.

Who is tied for that record you may ask? Dulwich Hill’s opponent for this week, Gladesville Ryde Magic.

The Magic were gutted after not being able to answer back in a 1-0 loss to Bankstown City last week.

The visitors enter this matchup desperate for a positive result, with its last win coming in round two of this season.

Although they boast a league best defensive record, they also hold the second-least amount of goals scored, something that is sure to change over time.

It’ll be an incredibly tight fixture, with two of the league’s best defences doing their bit to aim for yet another clean sheet on Saturday night.

 

Bankstown City FC vs Inter Lions FC, 7pm @ Jensen Park

It’s a blockbuster clash at Jensen Park for our final game of the round, as Bankstown City host Inter Lions.

The two sides which are currently separated by just one point on the ladder, have netted a combined 20 goals in their last three outings

Bankstown City put together a workmanlike performance to hold off a second half surge from Gladesville Ryde, breaking down the ever-tough defence of the Magic in the process.

In a start-studded attacking line for City, Dimi Petratos and Ante Tomic have proven to be two of the best in the league and will look to bring it to the Inter defence that has conceded in every game this season.

Last week’s close draw with Sydney Uni had to of been a wake-up call for Inter, as they were caught off-guard by a pacey attack.

This week they face a similar proposition, with Bankstown City known to blitz teams with plenty of numbers forward.

However, if Inter can hold out the potent attack, this may leave them with a numbers advantage going forward and could be the key for victory.

With a win here, Inter would firmly assert themselves as the team to beat and would continue to add pressure to top of the table rival Rydalmere.

City enter this game as the underdog, but Inter will remain wary of the attacking presence City brings to the table.

By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti