There are plenty of matches to keep an eye on this weekend in Round 14 so here’s what’s coming up.
Melbourne Knights v St Albans Saints
7:30 pm, Friday 19 May, Knights Stadium
The Knights won its second game in a row with a massive 5-0 win over Heidelberg in Round 13 and St Albans managed to defeat Green Gully.
Gian Albano (6 goals) and Ciaran Bramwell (5 goals) continued their red-hot form, scoring against the Bergers, and will be a handful for Sean Timmins and Chris Dib.
Forward George Ott (St Albans) has contested the most duels of any player this season and will be an interesting match-up against Josh Phelps. Zelfy Nazary provided a spark for the Saints and is one to watch against the Knights.
Michael Grgic was superb in last week's win for the Saints, alongside Joey Monek, but this week the duo come up against Steve Whyte - who has amassed over 1000 touches this season and Luka Kolic (3 assists).
Ivan Franjic made the Round 13 Team of the Week (TOTW) for his defensive efforts and leadership in the big win, while Corey Sewell (Round 13 TOTW) continues to show his creativity with three assists from left-back for the season.
Melbourne Knights have lost only one of their last 10 NPL Victoria Men matches and are undefeated in their last six games in that span; it’s the Knights’ joint-longest unbeaten run in the competition across the last three seasons.
George Ott comes up against his old side for the first time in his new colours and will look to make an impact.
In Round 19 last season, the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Knights Stadium.
Can St Albans win its third game in a row or will the Knights continue its charge to the top of the NPLM ladder?
Green Gully v Oakleigh Cannons
8:00 pm, Friday, 19 May, Green Gully Reserve
Oakleigh defeated Moreland to stay in touch with the top two, while Green Gully suffered its second loss in a row.
Oakleigh's Joe Guest has been on fire this season, providing nine assists - the most in the league, while fellow midfielders Stefan Valentini and Oliver Kubilay have three each.
Green Gully's midfield is no slouch either with Josh Hope (7 goals, two assists), Gianluca Iannucci (six assists), and Luc Jeggo (2 goals, one assists) a hard trio to overcome.
Despite having a solid season, defenders Taylor Schrijvers and Jordan Lampard will be up against it this week to contain the Cannons' attack who has scored 18 goals in its past five matches.
Winger Wade Dekker is red-hot - scoring four goals in the past three weeks, Alex Fietchner has scored six for the season, while utility Connor Hampson has found the back of the net five times this year.
The Cavaliers have been kept goalless the past two weeks, but have plenty of firepower with Pierce Waring (8 goals) leading the competition.
Alan Gerez has also scored four goals this season, with the highest conversion rate of any player in the league.
Green Gully SC has scored 12 goals after the 76th minute of matches this season - the most of any team
Oakleigh will need to be on their toes late in the game if the score is within Green Gully's reach as they have scored 12 goals after the 76th minute this season, the most of any side.
The last time these two sides met was nearly a year ago in the corresponding game of last season, the Cannons won the encounter 3-0.
After losing two straight matches, Green Gully is losing its grip on the pack, can they get their season back on track with a win against the Cannons?
Avondale v Port Melbourne
3:00 pm, Saturday, 20 May, Avenger Park
Avondale returned to the winners' list over Bentleigh last week, while Port Melbourne took care of business against Altona.
This clash is set to be a goals fest with the number one ranked scoring side (Avondale) coming up against the fourth beat (Port Melbourne).
Zander Guy (6 goals) scored two goals in the Avengers' win last week, while Stefan Zinni (8 goals) and Manny Aguek (7 goals) have been phenomenal in the early parts of the season and will likely stretch the Port Melbourne. Young full-back Jalil Regague has been a stand-out this season, but if fellow defenders Fletcher McFarlane and Caio de Godoy don't return this week after missing last week's clash - it will be a long day for the Sharks.
Midfielder Valil Cesnik scored his fifth goal for the season last week and will be a threat on top of the Port Melbourne forwards. Chris Duggan has led the way for the Sharks with seven goals for the season, including six big-scoring chances, the joint-most of any player in the competition.
Port Melbourne's George Mells was best on the ground in his side's win on the weekend and alongside Cesnik and Luka Tevere; they may be able to trouble Avondale.
The Avondale midfield is just potent with Kristian Tracjeski hitting the scoreboard once again and Stefan Zinni as dangerous as always. Yitay Towns and Blake Carpenter provide a defensive element with both players ranking in the top five for tackles this season in the league.
The Avondale has rarely been threatened this season due to their dominance, but with Port Melbourne looking to stay in touch with the top -four can they expose Kalilou Kamara, James Riccobene, and Ayden Brice?
Port Melbourne defeated Avondale 2-1 last year at Avenger Park with Jackson Courtney-Perkins scoring the winner.
The Sharks have been flying under the radar, can they claim their first big scalp and hand Avondale a rare defeat?
Moreland City v South Melbourne
3:15 pm, Saturday, 20 May, CB Smith Reserve
South Melbourne defeated North Geelong despite a late scare in Round 13, and Moreland fell to the Cannons at home.
Moreland's backline of Nick Bavcar, Michael Tzoutzidis, and Birhan Elibol will need to be at their best if they are going to contain the dangerous South attack of Ajak Riak - who scored a brace last week, Max Mikkola (7 goals), Pat Langlois and Alun Webb.
Mikkola has played over 120 passes into the box this season - the highest amount of any player in the NPLM.
Fletcher Fulton and James Hooper lead the scoring charge for Moreland with three goals, but neither player has found the back of the net since Round 10, and with South having the best defensive record this season (9 goals) it will be tough going for the Moreland attackers.
Jake Marshall has been outstanding in defense for South this year, ranking amongst the highest made clearances in the league so far this season.
Apai Akuno (Moreland) and Ajak Riak (South Melbourne) will be a presence in this match with both players ranking in the top five of contested aerial duels this season,
Jamie Latham alongside Corey Thomas will try their best t, although South will most likely have the ascendancy through the midfield with Jack Painter-Andrews, Josh Wallen, Pat Langlois, and Ai Sulemani all rotating through.
South Melbourne FC have lost only one of their last 13 NPL Victoria Men matches) and are undefeated in their last eight games, while Moreland City has only won one of its last 11 matches.
Can Moreland do the unthinkable or will South's run continue?
North Geelong v Bentleigh Greens
3:00 pm, Saturday, 20 May, Elcho Park
With North Geelong and Bentleigh at the foot of the table, the stakes couldn't be higher at Elcho Park this Saturday.
To take something from the game, the Warriors will need to tighten up their backline. Hamish Flavell has only kept the one clean sheet so far this season and with the team having 36 goals against, they hold the second worst defensive record in the NPLM.
In the front half 2022 NPL2 Golden Boot Winner Caleb Mikulic is yet to find the net so far this season but is a proven goal scorer. If he can rediscover his scoring touch he could prove to be a handful for the Bentleigh defence.
Injuries have certainly played their part in the Warriors struggles this season, but the silver lining is that some of the younger players have shined when given opportunity. Teenager Luke Zivcic is one to watch. The youngster scored a late poacher's effort at Lakeside last week, his second of the season despite only playing a total of 99 minutes across six games.
The home side heads into the match following a tough fortnight of fixtures which resulted in away losses at Oakleigh and South Melbourne. There were plenty of positives to take out of last week's match at Lakeside however and with the Warriors winning the reverse fixture 3-1 (Round 1), Tomi Gavran's men be optimistic they can claim a vital three points.
Bentleigh have had issues so far in 2023 and travel to Elcho Park looking to snap a three-match losing streak. Last week's 4-0 loss to Avondale aside, the Greens have been much improved in the last month.
A 3-2 win over Hume in Round 10 was followed by narrow 2-1 defeats to Altona and the Sharks with Christos Theodorakopoulos hitting a purple patch of form - scoring three goals across that period.
Despite sitting bottom of the table, Bentleigh have superior goal difference over both North Geelong and twelfth placed Moreland City. If results go the visitors way, Ric Marchioli's men could remarkably escape the relegation zone.
Hume City v Altona Magic
6:30 pm, Saturday, 20 May, Hume City Stadium
Three of the last four clashes between Hume City and Altona have resulted in draws, with the Magic only scoring one goal across that period - can we expect another cagey contest on Saturday night? Each Club's recent form would suggest not.
The home side have been involved in plenty of entertaining and high-scoring contests this season but have found themselves on the wrong side of results recently. After a strong start, one point from a possible twelve has seen Hume City slide down the table.
With five goals in 10 matches Jawad Rezai has led the way for Hume in the final third this season. His absence in recent weeks has been felt, as the team has failed to find the net in its last two games. Despite missing Rezai, City still have plenty of firepower with Josh Bingham and Dylan McGlade leading the line for the reds.
A major positive for Hume is that despite the side's recent form they are only four points outside the top six. With Altona sitting just two spots above them a win could provide the spark that reignites their season.
The visitors won't make it easy though - similar to their hosts, Altona have been involved in plenty of action-packed affairs in 2023 but have struggled of late and will be desperate to turn things around.
The Magic head into the match having lost three of their last four, including a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Port Melbourne last week.
To gain the points at Hume City Stadium Altona will need to put in a solid defensive effort. The club hasn't kept a clean sheet since Round 3 and too often have been drawn into shootouts.
Scoring goals hasn't been a problem for the magic with Tommy Semmy (5 goals), Jonas Markovski (7 goals) showing a lethal touch, while Cian Cuba has proved to be an inspired signing.
Cuba's link up play with the forwards has been excellent and he has directly created 13 scoring chances for Tommy Semmy alone - the most of any player for a single teammate in the competition.
With both teams vying for a top six finish this game promises to deliver.
Hume City midfielder Mark Ochieng looking for a pass in Round 14 against Dandenong Thunder. Picture: BRG Creative.
Dandenong Thunder v Heidelberg United
7:15 pm, Saturday, 20 May, George Andrews Reserve
It's been a wild ride for Heidelberg fans in the first half of the season. Since losing to the Thunder 1-0 at home on the opening matchday the Bergers have been a team of extremes.
Last week's 5-0 thumping at the hands of the Knights mirrored the scoreline in their Round 4 loss to the Cannons, while an 8-2 loss against Avondale a month ago was a low point in the club's season. On the flipside, some impressive wins against South Melbourne and Green Gully proved that the Bergers can trouble anyone on their day.
A concern for Coach George Katsakis is that halfway through the season goals are still incredibly hard to come by. The club has only scored two in the last four games - a penalty and an own goal.
Kaine Sheppard (2 goals) is yet to rediscover his 2022 form and Kenny Athiu hasn't hit the net in 11 appearances. The supporting cast hasn't fared much better with Josh Pin (1 goal) Eion Ashton (1 goal) and Bilal Habib (1 goal) also failing to find their scoring touches.
Heidelberg's attack won't be pleased to have seen Majak Mawith in last week's NPLM Team of the Week. Dandenong's keeper holds the third highest shots to save ratio in the NPLM at 75.5%.
The Thunder welcome Heidelberg following a 2-0 win at home against Hume City thanks to strikes from Kasper Hallam and Grad Damen. The win saw them leapfrog Hume into eighth place and just two points shy of a finals position.
Damen has been in fine form throughout 2023, creating 37 scoring chances in the league. This is the second-most of any player in the competition and just two shy of league-leader Joe Guest (39).
The Bergers actually won in their last visit to Dandenong with a 2-1 victory last May. Otherwise, the Thunder have had Heidelberg's number of late, winning three of the last four matches all with clean sheets.
Can Heidelberg make it back-to-back wins at George Andrews or will the Thunder continue their charge towards the top six?