BUPL Round 6 Preview
Round six of the Bankstown Umbro Premier League will see one game we have all been waiting for in 2023 while the rest of the competition are all on the hunt for three points after a week’s break.
Our match of the round sees our grand final rematch from 2022 as Padstow Hornets will take on Bankstown Sports Strikers as Padstow look to continue their undefeated 2023 season.
Revesby Workers are still looking for their first points of the season as they take on Central Sydney Wolves, while Padstow United take on Greenacre Eagles as they both look to push themselves into the top half of the competition.
Elsewhere, Yagoona Lions will play Georges River Thistle in a top 4 clash, while Panania Diggers look for a vital win against Bass Hill Rangers to keep them at the top of the table.
Friday, 14th of April 2023
Revesby Workers vs Central Sydney Wolves, 8:30pm @ Padstow Park Synthetic
Previous Meeting: Revesby Workers 3-0 Central Sydney Wolves
Revesby Workers will continue to try and turn their season around as they take on Central Sydney Wolves who look to put themselves back into the top half of the table after suffering a midweek loss to Greenacre Eagles.
The last time these two sides met was last season when Revesby Workers beat Central Sydney Wolves in a 3-0 win.
Revesby Workers have struggled so far with keeping the ball out of their own net conceding 35 goals in their opening 5 games. Revesby Workers will be up against a Central Sydney Wolves side who have struggled to score goals this season and they will see their defence as a key pillar if they are to win this game.
Central Sydney Wolves suffered a midweek loss to Greenacre Eagles which saw them drop down to 8th on the competition ladder.
Central Sydney Wolves have been strong defensively; however, they will need to look to create more chances in front of goal against a struggling Revesby Workers defence if they are to win this game.
Central Sydney Wolves will see this game as a vital three points if they are to make their way back up the competition ladder as they push for finals football.
With both sides towards the bottom of the competition ladder we expect both teams hungry for three points.
Saturday, 15th of April 2023
Match of the Round: Padstow Hornets vs Bankstown Sports Strikers, 4pm @ Crest
Previous Meeting: Bankstown Sports Strikers 0-1 Padstow Hornets
This week’s match of the round sees Padstow Hornets and Bankstown Sports Strikers meet for the first time since their 2022 grand Final which makes this game a grand final rematch!
Padstow Hornets won last year’s grand final 1-0 in a thrilling match which will have Bankstown Sports Strikers hungry for revenge.
Bankstown Sports Strikers have not had their dream start to their season as they sit 5th on the competition ladder. However, under the guidance of Ali Hassan, Strikers will be looking to climb up the ladder in the weeks to come.
Both these sides have been very strong defensively and have only conceded 3 goals in their opening fixtures, so we expect this game to be won on defence.
Padstow Hornets have only been able to score 8 goals in their opening 5 fixtures after being the highest scoring team in the 2022 competition.
Padstow Hornets will look to their attacker Mike Cklamovski and Neil Philippou to make more attacking chances if they are to find the back of the net against a strong Bankstown Sports Strikers defence.
This match will be one you won’t want to miss out on as both squads will look to be firing in their first meeting since last year’s grand final.
Padstow United vs Greenacre Eagles, 3pm @ Playford Park
Previous Meeting: Padstow United 5-0 Greenacre Eagles
Padstow United will welcome Greenacre Eales to Playford Park this weekend as both sides sit equal on 6 points in the competition.
The last time these two sides met was in round 12 of the 2022 competition where Padstow United won the game 5-0 as they scored 5 goals in the second half.
Padstow United attackers John Martinez and Rafa Coutinho both picked up 2 goals each in their 5-0 victory over Greenacre Eagles last season.
Both of Padstow United’s attackers have been the inform strikers of the competition with Padstow United having scored the most goals in the competition so far.
Greenacre Eagles defence will need to be switched on if they are to hold out a Padstow United attack that has been firing in front of goal this season.
Greenacre Eagles will look to positive momentum, with back-to-back wins in their last 2 games as they hope to climb towards the upper half of the table.
Greenacre Eagles number 9 Alam Dabel has scored four goals in their last two wins, including a hattrick against Central Sydney Wolves in their catch-up fixture. Greenacre will be looking to Dabel once again this week if they are to continue to score goals and find their third win in a row.
With a win for either side giving them the opportunity to move into the top 5 of the competition, we expect both sides to give 100% intensity as they both look for a vital 3-points.
Yagoona Lions vs Georges River Thistle, 4pm @ O’Neill Park
Previous Meeting: Yagoona Lions 6-1 Georges River Thistle
Yagoona Lions will welcome Georges River Thistle to O’Neill Park in a top four clash as both sides look to cement their place in the top four of the competition.’
The last time these two sides met was in round 21 of the 2022 competition where Yagoona Lions comfortably beat Georges River Thistle 6-1 with their winger Adrian Ristevski scoring a hattrick.
Yagoona Lions have been strong in front of goal to start of the competition with their attackers Jamie Bazevski and Joshua Briskoski consistently finding the back of the net in their opening 5 matches.
Yagoona Lions will also look to their young winger Adrian Ristevski to get on the scoresheet in this fixture after he netted a hattrick in this fixture last season.
However, Yagoona Lions will be looking for an improved defensive effort in this fixture as they have conceded 11 goals in 5 matches which is the third most in the competition.
If Yagoona are to stay towards the top end of the ladder they will need to be better defensively.
Georges River Thistle have turned their season around after losing their opening two matches as they sit in 4th position on the ladder coming into round 6 of the competition.
The reason for Georges River Thistle’s massive turn around has been their defence which has only conceded one goal in their last three fixtures.
If Thistle are to continue their winning ways, they will need to be strong in defence against a Yagoona Lions team that can’t stop scoring.
Expect this fixture to be intense for the full 90 minutes as both sides look for a vital 3-points in a top four clash.
Panania Diggers vs Bass Hill Rangers, 4pm @ Kelso Park
Previous Meeting: Bass Hill Rangers 2-0 Panania Diggers
Top of the table Panania Diggers will take on Bass Hill Rangers who sit second last in the competition.
The last time these two sides met was in round 11 of the 2021 competition where Bass Hill Rangers defeated Panania Diggers 2-0.
Panania Diggers have cemented their spot at the top of the competition after a 2-1 victory over Yagoona Lions in round 5.
Panania Diggers are still one of two sides who are undefeated in the competition and will be looking to get three points in this fixture to push away from other teams in the competition.
In attack, Panania have looked strong with their striker Nicholas Vertsonis starting to find the back of the net more consistently.
With strength in both their attack and defence, Panania Diggers will feel confident that they can win this game.
Bass Hill Rangers are still without a point in the competition, and they will be keen to turn their season around as they play top of the table Panania Diggers.
Although they are without a point this season, Bass Hill have looked to be competitive in all their fixtures.
If Bass Hill are to start to get to winning ways, they will need to see an improvement in their attack as they have only been able to score 2 goals in their opening 5 matches, which is the lowest in the competition.
With both sides sitting at opposite ends of the competition ladder as well as both sides needing the three-points for different reasons, expect this match to be exciting with both sides strong for the full 90 minutes.
