Belconnen United v Canberra FC | Saturday, 3pm @ McKellar Park

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Belconnen United and Canberra FC will meet in a big top-four matchup on Saturday afternoon at McKellar Park. Both sides lost last weekend and are stuck in the logjam on the edge of the four as the season enters its final stretch. United were beaten by Tigers at McKellar despite a largely strong performance and will be hoping that can put in a similar shift here. Steve Forshaw’s side responded well to going behind on a number of occasions but were just unable to claw back a result, and face a down and out Canberra FC side here. Both sides sit on 13 points currently but United have played a game more, so a win here allows them to be ahead of their rivals heading into the final stretch of matches, while a loss or draw may make things a little interesting over the coming weeks.

Canberra FC fell 3-1 in a shock loss shortly after their return from an international tournament and a return to the form will be the aim here for Luka Ujdur and his men. They did well to go ahead early against Monaro but fell apart defensively from there and will need to show more this week. The league-leading defence from their treble season is no more but nor do they feel as though they can overcome those deficiencies with firepower anymore. When these sides met at Deakin earlier in the season Belconnen came out on top 3-2 and the visitors here will be itching to turn that around and avoid conceding the double to a storied rival.

 

 

Monaro Panthers v Gungahlin United | Saturday, 5:30pm @ Riverside Stadium

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Monaro can go some way towards putting a degree of security on their spot in the top four when they host Gungahlin United on Saturday at Riverside. The Panthers will be coming in hot off the back of their 3-1 win at Deakin last round and currently reside in third, sitting pretty four points behind the chasing pack that includes Gungahlin. Josh Gulevski blazed the trail last week with a hat-trick but he was ably assisted by the rest of his team, including Niko Kalfas who unselfishly passed up a late opportunity to tee up Gulevski’s third. A win here would push them seven points ahead of their opponents and put the pressure on those behind, but a loss would draw them right back into the dogfight.

Gungahlin gave up a 2-0 lead last week to lose to Tuggeranong after looking so promising for much of the match, and Marcial Munoz will be expecting a rebound performance here. A backline that had allowed just five goals in eight games has now shipped ten in its last two, and a further dire performance here would be very detrimental to their finals aspirations. But the first half last week had plenty of positives, and if United can begin out of the blocks in a similar manner here then it will stand them in good stead. A victory here can help lift them out of the jam of teams separated by goal difference and a single point.

 

Tigers FC v Woden-Weston | Sunday, 3pm @ Nijong Oval

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Woden-Weston have the chance to drag themselves back into the top four fight when they take on Tigers FC at Nijong on Sunday, but will need to be better than in the 1-1 draw with the Riverina Rhinos last weekend. The Wanderers struggled to create much of note in attack against the Rhinos despite scoring first, and a defensive lapse allowed the visitors back into it. When these two teams met earlier in the season Rey Castro’s men were matching it with the ladder leaders before a disruption to the game sapped their momentum and they will be hoping for no repeats here. They have the pace and power to trouble Tigers’ at time suspect backline but to a result at Nijong will require a full 90-minute performance, which too often has not happened.

Tigers can keep or extend their five-point lead when they host Woden-Weston, and will need to avoid dropping points to retain a surplus over Olympic given their bye and FFA Cup involvement that is fast approaching. Mark Shields has impressed in the absence of Nico Abot and will be so important for Gaby Wilk down the stretch and gets a chance here against a backline who have been uncertain at times in the past few weeks. Tigers weren’t convincing themselves though as they scraped past Belconnen United last week and an improved performance is in order to pick up all three points here.

 

Canberra Olympic v Tuggeranong United | Sunday, 3pm @ O’Connor Enclosed

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After thrashing Gungahlin United by five goals Canberra Olympic had the week off, and return here against Tuggeranong. They were completely dominant in that outing, laying waste to the leagues then-best defence with a blitzkrieg to lead 4-1 at the break after conceding just 50 seconds in. The form of Nik Popovich and Stephen Domenici through that game must be of some comfort to Frank Cachia who is at the helm of a side charging towards the finish line. They sit five points behind Tigers but have a game in hand on the ladder leaders, who also have FFA Cup commitments. If Olympic keep winning then they can potentially force a title decider on the final day of the season.

For Tuggeranong, they showed a lot of fight to come back and get past Gungahlin United last weekend but one doubts whether Mitch Stevens will have been overly pleased to see his side down 2-0 to begin with. Eddie Coggan scored the winner after two goals from Aisosa Ihegie tied the game and the team is now right back in the top four hunt. Ihegie’s form will be a crucial factor if United are to make a concerted run at the title from here but this outing could be crucial given the other contests taking place. With 3^rd-6^th involved in matchups within that group Stevens’ team have the chance to pounce on any slipups, but need to be at their best against a side they fell to earlier in the campaign.