Tuggeranong United v Riverina Rhinos – Saturday, 3pm @ Greenway Enclosed

The Rhinos will travel to Canberra again this weekend as they seek to break a five-match winless streak that has seen them drop to seventh on the table after winning two of their first three matches. The Riverina side went down by three goals to Woden-Weston last weekend and will need a solid improvement if they are to rebound at Greenway. These two met in the first round of the season and the Rhinos were in the contest for large parts of the match only to concede the winner late on. A full 90-minute performance is something the Rhinos have struggled to put together, but as they head into the back half of the season there is hardly a better time to produce one.

For Tuggeranong, they produced an excellent performance on Sunday to become the first side to take points off Canberra FC this season, and sit in second spot just three points behind the ladder leaders, albeit having played a game extra. Aisosa Ihegie continues to impress as a focal point for United, and his pace and movement will be a problem for the Rhinos. One concern for Mitch Stevens will be the his side’s defense, with the 17 goals conceded by Tuggeranong something of an outlier amongst the top teams. They have offset that so far with the second best attack in the league though and will look to continue that here.

 

Woden-Weston v Tigers FC – Saturday, 3pm @ Woden Park

A tasty clash awaits at Woden Park on Saturday afternoon as Tigers FC pay a visit to Woden-Weston looking to close the gap to the top four. Tigers have largely struggled to get going so far this season with their two wins coming against the Rhinos and Monaro, who happen to be the teams directly above and below them on the table, respectively. Since that thumping win over the Rhinos in Griffith Gaby Wilk’s side have lost two in a row and need to up their production in the second half of the season. Nicolas Villafane continues to shine with a goal straight from a corner last weekend but needs support in the back straight of the year to continue his effectiveness. Niko Kalfas has struggled to fire after being brought in with high expectations but has a chance to regain form against a defense that has conceded as many as his own side. Ahead of a tough stretch of matches, this looms as something of a must-win if Tigers are to make a concerted run at finals.

For the hosts, they suffered a 4-3 extra time loss at the hands of Gungahlin United during the week, but will still come into this match full of spark with their thrilling round one win over Tigers still fresh in their minds. A good win in the league last weekend over the Rhinos lifted them to within two points of Belconnen United in fourth, and another victory here would lift them into fourth. Their free-flowing style has seen them become one of the most prolific sides in the league, but they have struggled to keep out sides at the other end. They face a team with exactly the same defensive and attacking record as themselves this weekend, indicating that we are in for an attacking spectacle rather than a defensive masterclass. Entering the back end of the season and with a testing run of games on the horizon, a win here would put the Wanderers in a strong position to chase a finals berth.

 

Canberra FC v Canberra Olympic – Sunday, 3pm @ Deakin Stadium – LIVE on BarTV Sports

Sunday sees a marquee clash at Deakin Stadium, as traditional rivals Canberra FC and Canberra Olympic meet in a blockbuster. Olympic come into the match off a bye, and can climb to within a single point of Canberra FC with a win in this match. The FFA Cup Preliminary Quarter-Final between the same two teams finished 2-0 to the hosts at the same venue, and Olympic will need to take advantage of their chances better in this outing. Frank Cachia will have appreciated the extended break his side received to work on some injuries and regroup although the loss of Robbie Cattanach to a knee injury and Jeremy Habtemariam to Canberra FC may have repercussions. The visitors have two games in hand on second-placed Tuggeranong and one on their opponents, so a win here would stand Cachia’s side in great stead heading into the back half of the season.

Canberra FC dispatched Belconnen United in the cup on Thursday night and continue to roll on this season. Thomas James added to his burgeoning season tally in that outing and will no doubt be a big threat here again. Paul Macor’s side have conceded just six times this season in the league, two of which came last weekend in the draw with Tuggeranong and have put the most in the back of the net. They will face another stingy backline in Olympic though, and the forward line will have their work cut out for them. Much of the hosts performance here may come down to fresh legs as they play their third game in eight days, and whether Macor looks to mix up his squad ahead of the Cup final next weekend. All form aside, this game is usually a classic and both sides will no doubt rise to the occasion.

 

Gungahlin United v Belconnen United – Sunday 3pm @ Gungahlin Enclosed

Gungahlin United will be aiming to build on their thrilling FFA Cup win over Woden-Weston from midweek when they host Belconnen United at GEO on Sunday afternoon. Their extra-time triumph came off the back of a 3-1 league win over Monaro last weekend, and Marcial Munoz’s side look to have improved after some early season jitters. Antoni Timotheou starred in the cup win to continue a strong individual season and will look to control proceedings here. Despite not scoring too often United have stayed in games thanks to a strong backline and that will serve them well here against a side that has picked up their scoring in recent weeks. Their two wins in the league have come in matches where they have clicked up front, scoring four and three respectively, so expect Marcial Munoz to push his side up the pitch. Thomas Muller has also being in exemplary form of late and could be one to keep an eye out for once more as Munoz’s side look to begin their run up the table in the back end of the season.

For Belconnen, they were on the losing end of their FFA Cup clash on Thursday night and need to bounce back here. The coaching change at McKellar appeared to pay dividends as Ulisses Da Silva and Steve Forshaw oversaw an important win against Tigers FC last weekend, but need to keep momentum running in the league. They are sitting just inside the top four currently and can be leapfrogged by this weekend’s opponents if the result goes against them, as well as Woden-Weston if the Wanderers can pick up a win. Now in the second half of the season they are facing squads they have had the chance to front up against once already, but whether or not they can come away with a repeat of round one’s 1-0 victory over Gungahlin remains to be seen.