NPLSA Round 2 - Preview

#NPLSA Round 2

 



Croydon Kings v West Adelaide  
Sunday 3 March at Polonia Reserve, 2:00 pm KO 

In what most have described as the upset of round 1, the plucky Croydon Kings romped to a 4-0 victory over South Australian football powerhouse Adelaide City.  

The Kings sit proudly on their throne at the top of the table heading into their second official match under new coach Angelo Costanzo and will be high on confidence after their display on Saturday evening.  

West Adelaide contrastingly will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing round 1 loss to Adelaide Comets. New signing Marcelo Carrusca missed an early penalty and was subbed at half time before his side eventually went down.  

Nathan Munro and Luke Klimek starred for Croydon last week, but it was Peter Mercurio’s first-half strike that took the limelight with an early contender for goal of the year.  

Croydon Kings Round 2
Image: Croydon Kings FC


Adelaide United v Campbelltown City  
Sunday 3 March at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre, 5:00 pm KO 

Adelaide United will be looking to make it two from two as they take on 2018 Champions Campbelltown City on Sunday afternoon.   

With the extreme weather policy coming into effect, AUFC’s home fixture has been rescheduled to take place on Campbelltown’s home deck, which could play into the hands of the reigning champs.  

Last week Paul Pezos’ side accounted for the newly promoted Raiders, while the Red Devils suffered their first defeat since July at the hands of this year’s other promoted side, Adelaide Blue Eagles.  

Pezos has a plethora of talent at his disposal who will be keen to prove themselves against the competition’s benchmark from last year. The young reds played fast-paced counter-attacking football to secure a win in round 1, a tactic they may well employ again on Sunday.  

Campbelltown will go into the game without first-choice goalkeeper Nicholas Harpas, who received his marching orders 9 minutes into last week’s season opener. Japanese import Yohei Matsumoto scored a brace in his side’s defeat and will again be vital if they’re to bounce back and secure their first win for the year.  

AUFCvCC
Image: Adelaide United FC


Adelaide Olympic v MetroStars  
Sunday 3 March at VALO Football Centre, 5:00 pm KO 

This one shapes up as a match of the round contender, with two of the competition’s title challengers facing off Sunday afternoon at the VALO Football Centre.  

After a disappointing first half last week, George Tsonis’ men showed the grit and determination he’ll be looking for throughout the season, overcoming a 0-2 half time deficit to eventually round out 3-2 winners at home against South Adelaide.  

Metro’s new signing Dylan Smith was on song in his debut for the club, scoring the 59th-minute winner in a best on ground performance against Para Hills Knights.  

With both sides boasting reliable defensive pillars and prolific goal scoring ability, a disciplined performance is likely to prove the difference on Sunday.  

Olympic
Image: Adelaide Olympic FC


South Adelaide v Raiders    
Sunday 3 March at O’Sullivans Beach, 6:30 pm KO 

South Adelaide will officially open their upgraded facility at O'Sullivan's beach Sunday evening, hot in pursuit of their first 3 points for the year.  

Ben Dale’s side looked to be flying last week as they went into the break 2 goals to the good against Adelaide Olympic, but a second-half onslaught including a 90th-minute sealer from Christos Pounendis meant Panthers made the journey home with no points in the bag. 

Summer signing Liam Wooding showed how important he’s going to be for Panthers’ campaign, slotting a brilliant first-half goal in a best on ground performance as he returned to his boyhood club.  

Raiders will be disappointed with their homecoming to the top flight, succumbing to the fast-paced counter-attacking football displayed by the Adelaide United Youth Team, going down 0-2 in front of a huge crowd at the Croatian Sports Centre.  

SAvRAI

 



Adelaide Comets v Para Hills Knights   
Monday 4 March at Jack Smith Park, 8:15 pm KO 

Monday night football returns for 2019 as Comets look to back up their round 1 win, taking on Para Hills Knights at Jack Smith Park.  

Comets’ leading scorer from 2018 Andreas Wiens showed he hasn’t lost his touch over the break, popping up to score his side’s winner in the 65th minute of their season opener against West Adelaide.  

Barney Smith’s Knights will look to move on from their round 1 defeat at the hands of MetroStars, going down 2-1 in an end to end battle at The Paddocks. Peter Eleftherakis got on the score sheet to level the scores shortly after half time for the home side but they were unable to go on and salvage anything from the game.  

Adelaide Comets Round 2
Image: Adelaide Comets


Adelaide Blue Eagles v Adelaide City   
Monday 4 March at Marden Sports Complex, 8:15 pm KO 

In the other Monday night fixtures, Adelaide Blue Eagles will host their first home match of the season, as they battle it out with old rivals Adelaide City at Marden.  

It was a welcome return for Vojo Gluscevic’s side back to the top flight of local football, overcoming reigning champions Campbelltown City 2-3 in Friday night’s season opener, courtesy of a 94th-minute goal from Alemao Kebede.   

Adelaide City contrastingly were served a four-goal thumping at the hands of Croydon Kings in Michael Matricciani’s coaching debut for the club.  

A shell-shocked City never recovered from a first-half barrage of goals and will look to bounce back this week with the return of their goal-scoring machine Anthony Costa.  

Hamish McCabe was outstanding for Blue Eagles on Friday night, scoring the first and laying a classy ball over the top of the Red Devils defence for their second goal.  

ABLvAC