Avondale v Melbourne Knights Semi-Final Preview
SUMMARY
Avondale and Melbourne Knights will face off this Saturday afternoon in the first NPLM Semi-Final at Avenger Park.
The Knights came into the final series winning three of their past five matches, while Avondale last tasted defeat in Round 12 against South Melbourne – their only league loss of the season.
Last week, Ben Cahn’s men defeated Port Melbourne 2-0 to reach their first NPL Preliminary Final with Mitch Hore and Gian Albano finding the back of the net.
The Australia Cup Quarter Finalists will have a huge task ahead of them, winning six of their 13 away matches this season while Avondale is undefeated at home this season.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?
Round 7: Avondale 3-0 Melbourne Knights
Goals: Liam Boland (A) 28, 74 (P), Manny Aguek (A) 85
Round 20: Melbourne Knights 1-1 Avondale
Goals: Luca Kolic (MK) 21, Yousef Ahmed (A) 71 (P)
Avondale
Avondale has been sublime all season, scoring the most goals in a single season in NPL history, and have not been defeated since Round 12 when they went down to South Melbourne.
The Avengers earned themselves a bye in the first week of finals after finishing first on the table with 21 wins from 26 matches.
Despite being known for their attacking qualities,, Avondale also ranks second for goals conceded, proving they can withstand the pressure of fellow top teams in the competition.
With 90 goals for the season, Avondale has no shortage of goalscorers with Stefan Zinni leading the way with 13, Yusuf Ahmed has found the back of the net 11 times, while Liam Boland (10 goals) and Zander Guy (9 goals) are also amongst the league’s best.
George Mells and Kristian Trajceski are a force through midfield, alongside Joey Katebian and game-changer Liston Diaz who has been lethal off the bench.
Ayden Brice, Blake Carpenter, Dillon Jakupi, Kalilou Kamara and James Riccobene form the second-best defence in the league and are well supported by Thomas Manos in goals who has kept 10 clean sheets this season.
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights come into this cutthroat Preliminary Final on the back of a 2-0 victory against Port Melbourne Sharks in front of their home fans.
The victory marked their return to the top six in NPLM for the first time since 2015 after finishing fourth with 14 wins from 26 matches.
Knights' head coach Ben Cahn said his side is fully focused on building on Friday’s performance in a massive week for the club.
“We’re very happy with the performance and the result, Port Melbourne is a strong side and they’re always difficult to play against,” Cahn told the Melbourne Knights website.
“The boys were great, they trained at a high level all week and delivered a really strong performance."
The Knights have a very potent forward half with Ciaran Bramwell (8 goals) or 18-year-old teenage sensation Luka Kolic (5 goals) likely to start up front and link up with the Knights wide forwards.
Leading scorer Gian Albano (11 goals) will play on one of the wings, while Ben Cahn could also turn to Gevaro Nepomuceno (5 goals) and Mohammed Sumaoro (7 goals) to find the back of the net.
Melbourne Knights’ midfield of Steve Whyte, Mitch Hore and Anthony Duzel has been impressive this season, however, their defence is where they can take the ascendancy.
Knights captain Ivan Franjic has been superb all season, alongside Josh Phelps and Ben Collins in the heart of defence, with the latter impressing since coming into the side mid-season from Western United.
NPLM Semi-Final
Avondale v Melbourne Knights
Date: Saturday, September 1
Venue: Avenger Park
Kick-off Time: 2:30 pm (AEST)
Broadcast: NPL.TV