Riverina Rhinos v Canberra FC | Saturday, 5pm @ Solar Mad Stadium

Canberra FC will travel to Griffith on Sunday looking to tighten their grip on first spot heading into the back end of the season. A strong win over Monaro two weeks ago was followed up by a one-goal victory at Gungahlin on Sunday and they are now outright top of the league with a game in hand on second. The league leaders are making the road trip at a more ideal time this season after heading west in 2017 less than 48 hours after an FFA Cup clash and they were held to a draw in that encounter, so they should be fighting fit going into this one. The league leaders own by far the stingiest backline in the league and they will prove a tough nut to crack in this outing, having conceded just seven goals in their 10 league outings this season. Their form up front has been top notch as well, but they were held for much of the game the last time these teams met.

The Rhinos picked up a come from behind win last weekend against Monaro in Griffith, pulling them within four points of fifth and there will be some wondering about how they would be placed for finals if their earlier clash with the Panthers had not been reversed. But they will face a sterner test this weekend in the middle of their three-game home stand and with a clash against Canberra Olympic awaiting next week the Rhinos will have been happy to notch a win already. But they will still chase a result here and they have the quality to match Canberra FC in some areas of the park. Artur Rattel has been immense so far this season and provided the assist for Joe Preece’s excellent second goal last weekend and will cause problems for the visitors here. They have struggled at the back at times though including shipping seven to Tigers earlier in the season at home so they will need to be switched on from the beginning here.

 

Monaro Panthers v Tigers FC | Sunday, 3pm @ Duncan Fields & LIVE on BarTV Sports

Tigers will head to Googong on Sunday to face Monaro aiming to keep their hopes of a top four spot alive. They sit four points out of fourth spot but with two games in hand and need to make sure that they make the most out of all their remaining six matches in the season. They came oh so close to a win two weeks ago in Gungahlin before being pegged back in the 97^th minute for a draw and those extra two points would be valuable right now. Nico Villafane appeared to suffer some degree of a groin injury in that meeting with Gungahlin but after a week off for the bye Gaby Wilk will be hoping that the Argentine star is fit and firing. He currently sits just one goal shy of first in the golden boot, trailing only Thomas James and has a good chance to find the scoresheet here. He will run the show but needs help from the rest of his side, with the backline particularly struggling this season. So far they have been able to see off teams thanks to firepower and that should be enough to defeat a team that they beat 3-0 earlier in the campaign.

For Monaro, they let slip a two-goal lead in Griffith last weekend and will want to rebound from that. That loss has them firmly on the bottom of the ladder, but their strong start will mean some positives can be taken from the match. It did draw similarities with giving away a three-goal lead earlier in the season to Tuggeranong though and complacency while leading could be something that needs addressing. Sam Smith continued to impress with a goal and he will be a thorn in the side of a backline that has been far from stingy this season. They have struggled against good attacking teams and shipped ten in two games in the fortnight before their trip to Griffith and will need to be better at the back here. A fast start against Tiger shaky defence here would go a long way towards helping to secure points but they must be wary of committing too many resources to scoring, rather than stopping goals.

 

Gungahlin United v Woden-Weston | Sunday, 3pm @ Gungahlin Enclosed

Gungahlin United are firmly in the race for the top four but need to break a three-match winless streak when they face Woden-Weston at home on Sunday afternoon. They are three points off Belconnen United in fourth but with a game in hand and need to pick up points here. The two teams drew 1-1 earlier in the season but United triumphed in their FFA Cup Semi-Final more recently, and a high scoring affair is on the charts once more. Marcial Munoz has recently bemoaned a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal and that needs to change this week. Woden-Weston’s pacy style of play means that there will be chances at both ends and United need to make sure that they take theirs, particularly early. In need of points, Munoz’s men will not want to go too long in the match without scoring and need to avoid opening themselves up on the counter if they chase goals. This is the third match for United in a three-game stand at GEO with just one point taken from a possible six so far and they need to pick up some in this outing.

Woden-Weston sit four points behind United but with just four matches left are on the very edge of dropping completely out of finals contention. Their last win came in round nine in a convincing display against the Rhinos and since then they have struggled to impact games in the same way the did earlier in the season. Too often chances to seal the game have gone begging and they have been pegged back deep into the second half on a number of occasions. They will have plenty of chances to counter-attack against a Gungahlin side that plays well when in control of the ball, but need to remain vigilant at the back with a number of creative options on the pitch for the hosts. Olaide Yinka-Kehinde continues to be one of the most exciting players in the competition this season and is well in the running for the Golden Boot and a strong performance from him will go a long way towards helping secure points on Sunday.

 

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

It’s second plays third on Sunday afternoon as Canberra Olympic host Tuggeranong United at O’Connor. Olympic fell to Belconnen United last week in a result that shook up the top four as a whole and will want to get straight back to winning ways here at home. Frank Cachia’s men jumped out to an early lead before conceding four straight goals from the hosts, and that was the first time that they had conceded more than twice in a single league game all season. Stephen Domenici continues to be a key player, and Domenic Giampaolo has hit a purple patch of late and the attacking firepower will come in handy this weekend. Olympic triumphed 3-1 when the two teams faced off at Greenway in April and that brought to an end a strong run of form that United had begun the season with. Now the two teams are separated by four points and Olympic have a strong chance to lock down a top two spot with a win and creation of a seven-point gap.

Since beginning the season strong and surging into the top echelon of the league Tuggeranong have struggled and they have only one win from their last five matches in the league. They trailed early to Woden-Weston last weekend before Shane Murray’s strike earned them a draw despite having the lion’s share of possession. The week before they scored first before going down 4-2 to Belconnen and are now only three points ahead of fourth and six ahead of fifth spot. Mitch Stevens side should not be in any danger of dropping out of the four but if their slide continues and the chasing pack closes in then there may be a few frayed nerves around United as the final rounds get closer. Next round they face Gungahlin before they have the bye a week later, and the side will not want to be relying on other teams to pick up favourable results in the week off so points here are vital.