Canberra Croatia could take another giant step towards the National Premier League title when they host Monaro Panthers, one of their main challengers, at Deakin Stadium for Round 14.
The last time these teams met, Croatia took the win with a 3-2 success at Stryda Park, a result sealed by a last-gasp free-kick from Croatia midfielder Daniel Colbertaldo, a goal of real quality to settle a feisty match that was littered with yellow cards throughout the ninety minutes.
Each team boasts one of the top goal scorers in the competition with Daniel Barac for Monaro, and Nick Pratezina for Croatia, both having found the net eleven times in league games this season. Croatia has another ace up its sleeve though, with Thomas James, the top assister/second top goal scorer this campaign being involved in 23 goals to date.
Monaro may be looking for revenge after Croatia also knocked them out of the Australia Cup earlier this year and realistically need all three points if they are to keep alive their title chances.
Over at Kambah, Tuggeranong United welcomes Queanbeyan City in what will be a game to watch as they fight off for fourth place and possibly a place in finals football at the end of the campaign.
As they face off at Tuggeranong’s residence, Kambah, it is hard to predict what will happen. Last time they met nothing could separate the teams as the match ended in a 0-0 stalemate, much like the Round 6 match which finished 1-1.
The teams are level on points on the table, so it is an important game for both and, with both being on a similar run of form with two wins each and a win last round, this will be a fixture that will certainly capture the attention of the Canberra football public, especially under lights down South.
Tigers FC are on the road as they travel out to Solar Mad Stadium in Griffith, and a date with the home team Yoogali SC deep in the Riverina, a clash that is of vital importance to both teams for differing reasons.
The visitors plan to get three points against the bottom team to keep the pressure on Canberra Croatia, a fact made harder by their 0-4 reverse last weekend at Deakin Stadium, while Yoogali want to get in the mix for the finals and, to do so, need to start stringing together some results.
Last time these teams faced, Yoogali had just come off a win against Gungahlin United but lost 3-2 against Tigers who hadn’t lost since Round 1, the game lighting up the pulses at the Australian Institute of Sport.
Ali Efe’s team will be looking for stable ground after a tough loss against Croatia in the last round, whilst Luek Santolin and his team will be eyeing off an upset success and a boost to their ambitions.
Finally, O’Connor Knights are the hosts against Gungahlin United when they welcome the Gunners to their at home at O’Connor Enclosed. The sixth vs seventh team are close in points, and both just want to get away from the bottom and keep up aspirations for the finals.
The historical statistics might predict a Gunners win considering they have won all of the last four games where these teams have met in the NPL, although the Knights will be reliant on the home ground support to help them get over the line.
Indeed, the Knights have never won a home NPL match against Gungahlin, losing two and drawing one of the three matches played at O’Connor Enclosed, whilst the two teams have met in two matches outside the NPL this season with Knights winning 2-1 in the Charity Shield and Gunners winning 5-2 in the Cup.
FIXTURES
ROUND 14
Saturday 12 July
Tuggeranong United v Queanbeyan City (Kambah 2, 17:15)
Canberra Croatia v Monaro Panthers (Deakin Stadium, 17:30)
Sunday 13 July
O’Connor Knights v Gungahlin United (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Yoogali SC v Tigers FC (Solar Mad Stadium, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 13 | +40 | 33 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 24 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 39 | 17 | +22 | 23 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 25 | -9 | 17 |
| 5 | Queanbeyan City | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 17 |
| 6 | Gungahlin United | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 34 | -18 | 12 |
| 7 | O’Connor Knights | 12 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 38 | -16 | 10 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 33 | -16 | 6 |
TOP SCORERS
11: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
10: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
8: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
7: Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
6: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC)
5: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Own GOALS
4: Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
3: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers / Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC / Gungahlin United), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Ayumu KIMURA (Gungahlin United), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Gabriel AYUEL (Queanbeyan City), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Queanbeyan City), Misko NAUMOSKI (Queanbeyan City), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Joey SEO (Yoogali SC), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Noah VANDERPOL (Queanbeyan City), Hamish WALES (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
13: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
8: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights)
4: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
3: Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Riley BROWN (Gungahlin United), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), AJ MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Monaro Panthers), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
