Article: Lachlan Roberts 
Photo: Michael Daniel Photography 

Canberra Olympic vs Tigers FC | Saturday, 15th August – 3pm @ O'Connor Enclosed  
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Round 5 of NPL1 action kicks off at O'Connor Enclosed, as Canberra Olympic host Tigers FC on Saturday afternoon. A top-four spot is on the line, as the fourth and fifth-placed teams go head to head. Canberra Olympic is still hurting after letting go of a one-goal lead as they were overrun by Canberra Croatia on Wednesday night. Robbie Cattanach's side has shown glimpses of attacking brilliance coupled with defensive frailty over the opening four rounds. This is the start of Olympic's run home, as they face Tigers FC, Gungahlin United and Woden Weston. Win two of their last three matches and a top-four place is all but certain. 

Tigers are still licking their wounds, after succumbing to Gungahlin United after a late Jack Green strike on Wednesday night (12 August). The Cooma-based side will be without Julian Borgna, who will serve his one-match suspension, and will be sweating on the fitness of midfield star Nathen Megic, who pulled up lame with what looked like a hamstring injury in the lead up to Green's strike. Ryan Grogan's men have lost two on the trot so a win against Canberra Olympic is a must, before they face Woden Weston and Belconnen United in the last rounds of the regular season. The last time Canberra Olympic came face-to-face with Tigers FC was in the 2019 Semi-Finals, where a Mark Shield's strike was the difference between the two sides, so expect a similarly tight contest. 

Belconnen United vs Monaro Panthers | Saturday, 15th August – 3pm @ Riverside Football Stadium 
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Belconnen United "host" Monaro Panthers at Riverside Football Stadium; not a sentence that you read every day. Both clubs came to an agreement to play Belconnen United's home fixture at the Panthers' den after the Blue Devils were eager not to play their home games at Hawker Football Centre. How much of an advantage that gives to the Panthers remains to be seen, but playing five of the seven regular season games at home certainly has to be an advantage. A young and inexperienced Belconnen United side battled to a 0-0 draw against Tuggeranong United last week and sit just inside the top-four on seven points. A win against one of the chasing packs would be a mighty boost to their finals chances. The Blue Devils won both 2019 fixtures against the Panthers in convincing fashion (4-1, 4-0) so past form is on their side. 

The Panthers grabbed their first points of the season last weekend against a luckless Woden Weston side at Melrose Synthetic, thanks to a double from Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu. The American striker has now found his feet in NPL1, with three goals in his last two games, filling in the big shoes left by Josh Gulevski. Despite losing their first three games, the Panthers are still in touching distance of the top-four so a win against other top-four aspirants would put the league on alert. Their run home consists of home games against Tuggeranong United and Gungahlin United, so winning their last three games seems like the only way the Panthers claw their way into finals contention. 

Woden Weston vs Canberra Croatia FC | Saturday, 15th August – 3:45pm @ Melrose Synthetic  
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A matchup between the scoreless Woden Weston and the undefeated Canberra Croatia might seem like a done-deal before a ball is even kicked, but beware the desperate Wanderers. Woden Weston has only scored once in their past seven games, the Michael Adams' strike against Monaro Panthers a distant memory - 364 days ago to be exact. The Wanderers had opportunities to break their duck last weekend against the Panthers, but an inspired double-save from Evan Alexandrow-Ridley and luck was against them. The Barisic brothers and Roy Anderson provided a spark in Woden's midfield last weekend, but questions about where their goals will come through continue to grow louder for Ulisses da Silva's side. 

If there was one word to describe Canberra Croatia this season, that word would be "determined". Even when they have been challenged this season, Dean Ugrinic's side has found a way. Case in point was their victory against Canberra Olympic on Wednesday night (12 August), as they fought back from a goal down to stay undefeated in 2020. The Deakin side looks like the most likely challenger to Gungahlin United's crown, so avoiding a slip up against Woden Weston will be the side's focus this weekend. Canberra Croatia drew 3-3 with Woden Weston at Melrose Synthetic last season, so they will be keen to avoid a similar result. 

Tuggeranong United vs Gungahlin United | Sunday, 16th August – 6:25pm @ Hawker Football Centre 
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The only NPL1 match on Sunday will take place under the lights at Hawker Football Centre, as Tuggeranong United host Gungahlin United. The recent run of wet weather has forced Tuggeranong to move from their home ground of Kambah 201, with the side forced to play all their home games in 2020 away from home. Despite losing their first two games, Tuggeranong has claimed four points of a possible six and grabbing a point or points against a dominant Gungahlin side would be an incredible result. Tuggeranong did upset Gunners last season 3-2, so an upset is not out of the question. 

Despite claiming a 1-0 win against the Tigers on Wednesday night (12 August), Marcial Munoz would be upset that it took his side until the 90th minute to break down the opposition. The Gunners dominated the opening 45 minutes and the game could have been over before half time if they had of taken their multitude of chances, so Munoz will demand his troops show a killer instinct against Tuggeranong. With clashes against Canberra Olympic and Monaro Panthers to round out their season, Gungahlin United is a real chance to go undefeated in 2020 NPL1 regular season.