Avondale will hit the road to take on Dandenong Thunder this Saturday night at Dacland Stadium on matchday 22 of the NPL season.
There will be plenty on the line as the teams square off, with both sides hungry for an important three points.
A win for Avondale would guarantee they’ll increase their lead on top of the table over at least one of their nearest rivals, with Heidelberg and Bentleigh facing off this weekend.
Meanwhile, Dandenong will be desperate for three points as they battle to secure their NPL survival. The 13th-placed Thunder currently sit in an automatic relegation spot but only trail 12th-placed Pascoe Vale on goal difference, meaning a positive result could see them move above the Rams into the relegation playoff spot.
The main reason for Dandenong’s struggles this season has been their inability to keep the ball out of their own net. The Thunder have the worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 58 goals in 21 games, and are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
The Avengers enter the fixture on the back of a crucial win over Hume City, putting in a near-perfect performance on their way to a comfortable 3-0 victory.
But they’ll have to be switched on when they take the field with Dandenong having shown they’re capable of causing an upset, beating Bentleigh 3-1 in round 19.
The Avengers will also have to contend with in-form striker Brandon Barnes, with the Englishman scoring seven goals in his last five games.
Avondale will once again be without injured players Brandon Lundy, Yitay Towns and Phillip Riccobene, while James Riccobene will also be on the sidelines to serve a one-week suspension after receiving five yellow cards.
Game time:
7:00pm
Saturday July 20th
vs Dandenong Thunder
@ Dacland Stadium – George Andrews Reserve
Form Guide:
Avondale
3-0 W vs Hume City
2-0 L @ Melbourne Knights
2-1 L vs Green Gully
5-2 W @ Pascoe Vale
3-0 W @ South Melbourne
Dandenong Thunder
3-1 L @ Port Melbourne
1-1 D vs Dandenong City
3-1 L @ Bentleigh
5-2 L vs Heidelberg
3-2 L @ Altona Magic
Last time they met:
This season
Avondale 6 – 2 Dandenong Thunder
Last season
Dandenong Thunder 0 – 1 Avondale
Avondale 1 – 0 Dandenong Thunder
Avondale squad:
1. Chris Oldfield (GK)
2. Scott Hilliar
4. Charles Beverly
5. Matthew Reid
7. Stefan Zinni
8. Jem Berkant
9. Liam Boland
10. Jonatan Germano
11. Joshua Addo
12. Yusuf Ahmed
18. Tasuku Sekiya
22. Stefan Valentini
23. Christian Inglese
24. Dillon Jakupi
33. Joey Katebian
37. Jye Spiteri
44. Rory Brian
