Canberra Olympic v Riverina Rhinos | Saturday, 1^st June – 3pm @ AIS Grass 3

Canberra Olympic will be out for a third win in a row when they take on the Riverina Rhinos at the AIS on Saturday afternoon. A late win over Woden-Weston last week helped put them in second, five points clear of Canberra FC and just one point behind ladder leaders Tigers FC who they will take on next weekend. Far from the usual suspects, their goals against Woden-Weston came from Nathen Megic and Amir Adam, and in a season hit by suspensions and injuries it must give Frank Cachia some comfort to see efforts chipped in from across the board. This match precedes a massive few rounds with games against Tigers, Canberra FC and Gungahlin United so Olympic will be wanting to make sure they take the chance to put points and goals on the board against the Rhinos.

For Gabriel Abdala and the Rhinos last weekend was a harsh result, going down 5-1 to Gungahlin United despite trailing by just a single goal at the break. Keith Jackson grabbed a consolation in the dying minutes but it was a case of too little, too late with a strike of the woodwork in stoppage time as well. They remain without a point through seven rounds of competition and the prospect of relegation continues to approach as the situation remains as such. Ally McLeod finally returns for Abdala’s side following a lengthy suspension, while Joe Preece may be available after he was sent off against Canberra FC. Both of those will provide a big boost for the side, and they will need to be at their best if the Rhinos are to challenge Olympic. A result on paper looks unlikely, but one only needs to cast their mind back to round 15 at Solar Mad Stadium last year when the Rhinos pulled out a late 1-0 victory.

 

Belconnen United v Monaro Panthers | Saturday, 1^st June – 3pm @ McKellar Park

Monaro will return from the bye this weekend, keen to build on their impressive win over Tuggeranong United just two weeks ago. On that day Jimmy Kanaridis’ team were at their flowing best, scoring twice in each half to reside in fourth place on the table, hot on the heels of third spot. This week they will face a side reeling from a loss to that same Tuggeranong side and have the chance to strike for their fourth win of the season. Panthers’ forward line caused untold problems for Tuggeranong that night and will look to do the same here against a team that has struggled to lock down at the back at times. Niko Kalfas, Sam Smith, Josh Gulevski and Michael Rinaudo will pose problems here and Belconnen United will have their work cut out.

Belconnen failed to score against Tuggeranong and looked disjointed for much of the game, struggling to put together going forward in particularly. They will be up against a Monaro side that has shown at times they can be strong defensively, but on other occasions have been porous, as when they allowed four goals in the second half against Canberra FC. United have scored the least of any side in the top six this season and need to improve their output if they are to make a serious tilt at the top four. They are back at home for the first time since round two this weekend and will want to make the most of it with the bye next week wrapping up the first half of the campaign.

 

Woden-Weston FC v Tuggeranong United | Saturday, 1^st June – 3pm @ Melrose Synthetic

Rey Castro and his Woden-Weston side are beginning to approach must-win territory having lost four games in a row. A 5-0 hammering at the hands of Gungahlin United was followed by a narrow loss to Canberra Olympic last time out and they now sit third last on the table, equal on points with this weekend’s opponents Tuggeranong United. They had strong moments going forward against Olympic but too often didn’t take chances and have scored just six goals in the season. Their chance comes now against United who have struggled to keep opposition teams out and have had a busy week of league and FFA Cup action.

United rebounded in the league with a 3-0-win last weekend but then fell 2-0 to Tigers during the week, and Mitch Stevens recruited retired Futsal star Daniel Fulton during the week to boost the numbers of an injury and departure hit squad. Aisosa Ihegie was back to his best on Saturday and Stevens will be hoping for more of the same here, while they were sturdy at the back and weathered Belconnen’s attacking forays. A win here puts United right back in the ever-growing mix for a top four spot, while a loss would jeopardise those hopes and leave them still within the grasp of ninth-placed Riverina.

 

Tigers FC v Gungahlin United | Sunday, 2^nd June – 3pm @ Nijong Oval

Tigers FC’s undefeated record will receive a big test on Sunday afternoon as they take on a surging Gungahlin United side at Nijong Oval. Five wins and a draw from the first seven rounds has Tigers flying high on top of the table, but they dropped their first points last weekend in a 1-1 draw with Canberra FC. Tigers had plenty of chances to win the game last weekend but their opponent’s did too, and Gaby Wilk will want to see his side control the game a bit more if they take the lead early again. There will be some squad management to do here having played their FFA Cup Round 6 win during the week, but that win will have helped their momentum heading into this weekend. Their attack and backline have both been excellent so far, but the strong forward line will this week face the best defence in the league.

Since their round two loss to Olympic, Gungahlin have gone undefeated in their past five matches, scoring 16 goals and conceding only two in that span of time. That has included two five-goal hauls in the last two weeks, with a 5-0 win against Woden-Weston and 5-1 victory against the Rhinos laying down a marker to the rest of the league. They now sit on the cusp of the four, and a win this weekend would put them above Canberra FC and (results dependent) Monaro to finally sit in the four. Beating Tigers would bring them within five points of their opponent’s, an incredible effort given they started the season in the minus. This marquee matchup provides the perfect stage for a statement performance from Marcial Munoz and his side.