BUPL Round 7 Preview
With our Bankstown Umbro Premier League round 7 around the corner our competition is very tight around the middle of the ladder.
This weekend is very important for teams to get results if they’re to stay towards the top of the competition.
The Match of the round sees Georges River Thistle looking to bounce back after their round 6 loss as they take on Greenacre Eagles who are looking to continue their 3-game unbeaten run.
Meanwhile, Central Sydney Wolves look for back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they play league leaders in Panania Diggers, while Padstow Hornets look to end their 3-game winless drought as they take on a Revesby Workers who will be hungry for their first points of the season.
Elsewhere, Bankstown Sports Strikers look to chase the top two as they play Yagoona Lions who sit in second spot, while Bass Hill Rangers look to turn good form into points as Padstow United visit while they look for their second win of the season.
Friday, 21st April 2023
Match of the Round: Georges River Thistle vs Greenacre Eagles, 8:30pm @ Padstow Park Previous Meeting: Georges River Thistle 4-4 Greenacre Eagles, Rd 3 2022
Georges River Thistle look to return to winning ways this weekend with key players out for suspension, while Greenacre Eagles look to continue their good form as they are on a 3-game unbeaten run.
The last time these two sides met was in a catch-up game of round 3 in 2022 where the sides could not be separated in an 8-goal thriller.
In the round 3 game last year, Greenacre Eagles Genki Kohyama scored a hattrick, however the eagles will need a new goal scorer in this fixture as Kohyama left the eagles to join NPL heavyweight Southern Districts.
Greenacre Eagles have been firing in front of goal of late with 8 of their 10 goals this season coming in their last 3 matches.
If Greenacre are to get a result in this match, they will be looking to their key attackers Alam Dabel and Taylor Saghabi who have a combined 7 goals this season.
Greenacre Eagles will look to play forward fast and utilise their up-tempo type of game play as three points will see them jump Georges River Thistle on the table as they look to hover around the top end of the competition.
Georges River Thistle’s 3-game win streak came to an end in last week’s game as a determined Yagoona Lions team defeated them 3-1 due to poor discipline by the Thistle side.
Thistle will be without key players Joshua Thomas and Sumathas Prasitsanpreecha due to suspensions they picked up in last weekend’s game.
However, Thistle have proven this season, that they are a strong side with enough depth in their squad to make up for some key players being out for this fixture.
Georges River Thistle have proven in their season so far that they are a tenacious team who will fight to the end as they look to get an important 3-points that will keep them in the top 5 of the competition ladder.
With an in-form Greenacre Eagles being hosted by a determined Georges River Thistle at Padstow Park, expect nothing less than a clash where both sides give their all until the final whistle.
Saturday, 22nd April 2023
Central Sydney Wolves vs Panania Diggers, 4pm @ Lockwood Park Previous Meeting: Central Sydney Wolves 1-7 Panania Diggers – Rd19, 2022
Central Sydney Wolves will be looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they host Panania Diggers who lead the competition and are looking to continue their undefeated start to the season.
The last time these two sides met was in round 19 of the 2022 season when Panania Diggers stormed away in the second half to beat the Wolves 7-1.
Central Sydney Wolves have been a much different outfit this season as they sit 6th on the competition ladder 2-pints behind 3rd place.
However, Central Sydney Wolves have lacked consistency in their performances as they have not been able to win back-to-back games all season.
Playing at home this weekend, if the Wolves can hold out Panania early and then start to dominate possession, they will have every chance of securing a result this week.
Panania Diggers have been just shy of perfect with their start to the season with 5 wins and 1 draw in their first 6 games.
Panania Diggers have had the best defence in the league so far, only conceding 4 goals in the 6 games they have played.
Panania have also been clinical in front of goal and attackers Joshua Adams and Nicholas Vertsonis have been key to their positive results as they have scored a combined 12 goals this season.
With in-form attackers and a solid defence, Panania will look to continue to prove why they are at the top of the table this week.
With both sides coming off important victories, this clash will be a battle for pride and crucial points where neither side will give up.
Padstow Hornets vs Revesby Workers, 4pm @ Marco Reserve Previous Meeting: Padstow Hornets 0-0 Revesby Workers – Rd 15, 2022
Padstow Hornets will take on Revesby Workers this weekend as both sides are in desperate need of a win for different reasons.
Both sides are coming off defeats in round 6 as Revesby Workers are still without a win this season, while Padstow Hornets have been without a win in their last 3 games.
The last time these two sides met they were unable to be separated as the game resulted in a 0-0 draw.
Padstow Hornets have a much more diverse scoring list to others in the competition, with 6 different goal scorers for their 11 goals in the league so far this season.
They will be hoping to be more focused in the late stages of their games as they were given a shock defeat to Bankstown Sports Strikers in the grand final rematch as Strikers scored 3 unanswered goals late into the second half with only 10 men on the field.
Although Hornets conceded 4 goals last weekend to Bankstown Sports Strikers, they have been one of the best defensive teams in the competitions and they will be looking for a clean sheet plus a win against Revesby Workers as they look stay at the top end of the competition.
Revesby Workers continue to struggle as they have not been able to register a point all season.
Revesby Workers defence continues to be their biggest downfall this season as they will look to continue to work on their defence if they are to improve on their performance’s week on week.
However, Revesby Workers continue to show up and put 100% into their games and will be determined to see their season turn around this week.
A win for either side would be crucial in the context of their season; for Hornets to push towards the top of the table and for Revesby to find their first points of the season.
Bankstown Sports Strikers vs Yagoona Lions, 4pm @ Crest Previous Meeting: Yagoona Lions 1-3 Bankstown Sports Strikers – Rd 17, 2022
Bankstown Sports Strikers look to get an important 3-points against Yagoona Lions as Yagoona sit 5-points above Bankstown Sports Strikers in 3rd place.
In this fixture last season, Bankstown Sports Strikers were able to defeat Yagoona Lions in a first half goal fest where Yagoona Lions 2023 key signing, Jamie Bazevski scored 2-goals for Bankstown Sports Strikers as he will play his old team for the first time since leaving in 2022.
Bankstown Sports Strikers are unbeaten in their last 2 games as they come off a massive victory against Padstow Hornets after a late second half come back with 10 men.
The Strikers will be without Rocci Gabey this weekend as he was issued a red card in their game against the Hornets, however, the Strikers proved they a resilient side who can win games with any players they field on the day.
If they can remain vigilant in defence and hold out attacks against a well organised Yagoona attack, they could continue their momentum against Yagoona Lions.
Yagoona Lions controlled possession in their match against Georges River Thistle, however they would have been disappointed to not have put the game to bed earlier in the match as Thistle had 9 men for the last 55 minutes of the match.
They have not kept a clean sheet this season, so their defence will be a bigger focus this week.
However, with Jamie Bazevski firing in their recent matches with hopes of being dangerous up front against his old side, Bazevski will be key if Yagoona are to win this match and remain close to the competition leaders Panania.
Both sides will be brimming with confidence based on last week’s results and will fight until the end for a positive result this week; this promises to be a tight and entertaining match.
Bass Hill Rangers vs Padstow United, 4pm @ Walshaw Park Previous Meeting: Bass Hill Rangers 0-5 Padstow United – Rd 4, 2021
Bass Hill Rangers continue to strive for their first points of the season as they take on Padstow United who desperately look for their second win of the season.
The last time these two sides met was in round 4 of the 2021 season where Padstow United comfortably beat the Rangers 5-0.
Bass Hill have had a tough start to their season having played all the top 5 teams to start the season.
Although being winless in their first 6 matches, Bass Hill have proved they are still a tough side to beat this year as they have been competitive in all their matches.
If Bass Hill are to get a positive result against Padstow United, they will need to be more disciplined in this match and create more chances in attack as they have scored the least goals in the competition so far.
Padstow United are undefeated in their last 3 matches, however, with only one win so far this season, they will see this fixture as a must win game if they are to keep up with the top of the competition.
Padstow United are still the top goal scorers of the competition as their fire power up top continues to be relentless in front of goal.
With John Martinez and Rafa Coutinho leading the goal charge and a squad full of exuberance, they will hope to achieve their second win of the season.
With two sides desperate for a win; Bass Hill Rangers and Padstow United will give everything in this match.
