Canberra Olympic v Tigers FC | Friday, 7pm @ Woden Park

Round 17 kicks off with a massive clash on Friday night as first hosts fourth at Woden Park. Canberra Olympic bounced back from their loss to the Rhinos with a come from behind win against Gungahlin United last weekend and that was enough to put them into first place as Canberra FC drew with Belconnen. Stephen Domenici got back on the scoresheet and Frank Cachia was pleased with how his side responded to going behind just two minutes in. But this week they will need to be at their best as they take on arguably the form team in the competition, and they will be put to the test as they look to remain in top spot.

Tigers have not lost since a round nine defeat to Belconnen United, which followed a loss to tonight’s opponents, and in that time have moved up from second last spot with just six points to where they are now in fourth. Nico Villafane has lead the charge and is now on top of the Golden Boot standings with 14 goals, but has been ably assisted by a number of his teammates with their contributions. It would be amiss to say their backline has come along in leaps and bounds with their last clean sheet coming 10 rounds ago, but their blistering attack has kept things moving. They will face a tougher test here against the second-best backline in the league and a fast start will be important for Gaby Wilk’s men.

 

Woden-Weston v Canberra FC | Saturday, 3pm @ Woden Park

Canberra FC will look to get back on track when they face Woden-Weston at Woden Park on Saturday afternoon, after a stretch of three games without a win in all competitions. A loss to Canberra FC and a draw with Belconnen United in the league were either side of the FFA Cup loss to Broadmeadow Magic and there are some concerned that Paul Macor’s team are beginning to waver at the wrong time of the season. Regardless, they remain only one point behind Canberra Olympic for first and still have a game in hand so this is no time for panic stations. Earlier in the season at Deakin they saw off Woden-Weston 4-1 in a convincing performance and Macor will be looking for a return to form in a similar way this week.

Woden-Weston surrendered a two-goal lead to Monaro last weekend but their fast start was a positive regardless, as was the performance of some youngsters. Olaide Yinka-Kehinde lead the attack as he has done so proficiently this season and was at the heart of their goals, and he was their lone goalscorer the last time these two teams met at Deakin. Rey Castro can set his side up to counter here, knowing that the visitors are likely to hold the majority of the ball, and the Wanderers are arguably the most dangerous team on the break in the league with pace in droves. They have a big chance to spoil the party here for Canberra FC if they can return to early season form, but need to put in a complete 90-minute performance against a team that is never really out of a contest.

 

Belconnen United v Riverina Rhinos | Saturday, 5:30pm @ McKellar Park

Belconnen United will have a better idea of where they stand by kick-off on Saturday, but their clash with the Rhinos on Saturday evening at McKellar Park is essentially a must win in terms of their hopes for finals. While only one point behind Tigers FC in fourth, Tigers have three games remaining including this weekend compared to United’s two, meaning a failure to win for Belconnen could all but write them off. They played well against Canberra FC last week and pulled a goal back at the death to equalise, but will want to control the game better here if they are able to go ahead early as they did at Deakin. United have not lost in their last four home matches but must be wary of a Rhinos side that has consistently improved throughout the season.

Gabriel Abdala’s side went down two goals to Tigers FC last week, but fought back well thanks to two from Joe Preece before succumbing to an 85^th minute winner. That was in stark contrast to the 7-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of Tigers in Griffith in round seven, and there should be optimism that they can also improve on the goalless draw against Belconnen from the following week. The later start time on a Saturday may mean the players are fresher from the trip to Canberra

 

Tuggeranong United v Monaro Panthers | Sunday, 3pm @ Greenway Enclosed

Tuggeranong United can move a step closer towards a first finals berth since 2003 when they host Monaro at Greenway in the only Sunday fixture. A win here and dropped points by Belconnen United will ensure that Tuggeranong can not be knocked out of the top four, but if Tigers and Belconnen both pick up points then the finals race will head into the final round of matches. Mitch Stevens has struggled with player availability during the season but his side have been ever presents in the top four and broke a dangerous slump with their recent win over Gungahlin United. Having had the bye to freshen up last weekend United should come in fit and firing, and Stevens can use the last day of the 2017 season as a motivator, when they lost to Monaro to skittle their finals chances.

Monaro came from two goals down last weekend, with a late rally seeing them equalise deep in stoppage time through Sam Smith. Last time they took on Tuggeranong the Panthers went up 3-0 just after half-time before surrendering the lead and losing 4-3 to a last-gasp goal on an afternoon to forget. When they faced United that time the visitors had just lost two straight and had the bye before facing them, but this time they will face a fired up side looking to solidify their finals chances. Monaro have shown flashes of form this season but have struggled to string them together, but their performance last week was an improvement on a succession of tough losses. As mentioned earlier the Panthers picked up their only win of the season in the last round to ruin United’s finals chances last year, and this year have the chance to put a dent in them once more.