APIA Leichhardt hosts North Shore Mariners in round 5 of Australian NPL NSW. The match will be played on Friday, August 28th at Lambert Park (Leichhardt, New South Wales)
APIA Leichhardt is stuck at the lower part of the standings, in an unusual ninth position. The team finished last season in second place, and only Wollongong Wolves managed to outrank it. However, the Tigers managed to beat the winner of the regular championship in the playoffs (twice) and reached the final, where they defeated Sydney United in a bitter struggle. APIA Leichhardt did not start this season well - just one victory over the youth team of Western Sydney Warriors and three defeats. It is necessary to take into account that the Tigers lost to the teams that came up to the beginning of the season in good shape, and now they take places at the top of the standings. These are the already mentioned Wollongong Wolves, as well as Marconi Stallions (a participant in last year's playoff series) and a new league member Sydney youth team (U-21). APIA is gradually gaining momentum, and the last game, despite the defeat, showed that the Tigers are close to last year's condition.
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FC North Shore Mariners is a league debutant that gained only one draw in the opening round. They tied with the member of last year's playoffs Blacktown City, which also started poorly ( it happened away). The Mariners also played the rest of the games on the road due to the fancy calendar, and this match will be the team's fifth away game in a row. North Shore lost in three previous meetings, and two of them ended with large scores (6:1 and 4:1).
The favorites in this division, as usual, start the tournament in bad shape, as they spend very short preseason preparation, playing and gaining shape already during the official matches. In fact, the starting rounds replace the preseason and have the status of test matches. North Shore spent the preseason in full measure, preparing for the start in a new tournament, and better physical preparation made itself felt at first. A draw in the first round and a minimal defeat in the second is the result of the team's good physical condition. However, the leaders are gaining momentum during the tournament, and the last two results (defeats with a large score) show the real balance of power. It will be almost impossible for a debutant to show a good result in the match with the leader that is gaining momentum. Moreover, APIA Leichhardt is angry and motivated by previous failures, so it will have to make up for the gap from the opponents and correct the difference between goals scored and conceded.
Prediction for the match: APIA Tigers to win and Over 2.5 goals scored
