Two big days of matches lie ahead this weekend in Round Three of the Playstation 4 National Premier Leagues Capital Football as at least one side will see their perfect run come to an end.

The round kicks off at the Australian Institute of Sport as the FFA Centre of Excellence host Monaro Panthers. The Centre of Excellence have not played for three weeks after their Round Two clash with Tuggeranong was postponed and will be looking to come out firing here against Panthers.

Monaro are yet to win a match so far, and Coach Lloyd Hewitt will be hoping his side can bounce back from their 5-0 defeat at the hands of Tigers FC in Round Two. The Panthers struggled to threaten Tigers in that clash, against their own former striker Mark Shields, and will need to discover their firepower as they face a young side who will also be on the attack.

The Riverina Rhinos will make the trek to Canberra again as they and Woden-Weston FC both look for their first wins of the season. The Rhinos have been beaten heavily to the tune of seven goals and five goals in their opening matches, albeit tough clashes against the Top Four. This week they will be hoping their second trip to Canberra is a more successful venture than the first. 

Woden-Weston started strongly against Gungahlin United last week but were unable to make early chances count, and will aim to change that against the leakiest defence in the league. The home side scored first against the Centre of Excellence in week one before conceding three goals, but a fast start here could be the difference.

Belconnen United and Canberra FC are both two from two so far, and will face off at McKellar Park in the Saturday evening clash. United have won their opening two rounds by margins of four goals and five goals against Gungahlin and Riverina respectively, but will face a much tougher task this week against an in-form Canberra FC.

Marko Vrkic’s side come out of the break following their 3-0 put away of Canberra Olympic in Round Two’s Grand Final rematch and appear in scintillating form. Thomas James his asserting himself as one of the league’s best forwards once more and he will surely prove to be a handful for the Blue Devils backline in this matchup.

Gungahlin United will look to build off their win last round as they host a Tuggeranong side looking to get off the mark for the season. The Gunners held off some early forays from Woden-Weston last time out but gradually settled, before taking control of the match in the second half to take a 2-0 lead.

Tuggeranong are in the same boat as the Centre of Excellence having had their Round Two match postponed, but are still looking for their first points of the season following a narrow first round loss to Tigers. The young Tuggeranong side showed promise in that match but were unable to take their chances, and against a side that is still a bit suspect defensively, will have the chance to remedy that this week.

The final match of the round will see a rematch of the Capital Football Charity Shield from pre-season, with Stephen Domenici and Canberra Olympic travelling to Cooma to face his former side. Olympic were rocked 3-0 at home in their last outing by Canberra FC, and will face another of last year’s Top Four this weekend. A dominant performance from Olympic in the Charity Shield saw them soundly defeat Tigers, and they will need another repeat this time out.

Tigers are yet to concede a goal in the league this season with a 1-0 victory over Tuggeranong and a 5-0 thumping of Monaro under their belt so far, but will face a greater defensive challenge this weekend against former front man Stephen Domenici. Tigers have had no problems scoring themselves though and against an Olympic side really wanting a victory, will likely look to pick their holes in the defence rather than go all-out from the beginning.

 

Full fixture list here.