The 2025 NPLM Round 17 Match of the Round Preview
Round 17: Preston Lions v Heidelberg United
Venue: Genis Steel Stadium, Reservoir
Date/Time: Friday 6 June 2025, 8:30pm
One of Victoria’s great club rivalries continues at Genis Steel Stadium as sixty years of history takes centre stage, with Preston Lions hosting Heidelberg United in what promises to be a dress rehearsal for a mouth-watering Final Series in August.
The Lions are fresh off a win at Paisley Park and with just one loss in their last eight matches, are one of the form teams in the competition, sitting fifth on the NPLM League table. However, that pales in comparison to the run of the second placed Bergers, their ten-match winning streak coming to an end at Olympic Village courtesy of a draw against the struggling St Albans.
If the match mirrors anything like the thrilling contest at The Home of the Matildas in February, then the expectant big crowd are in for a wonderful night of entertainment.
Head-to-Head Record
Played: 65
Preston Lions: 23
Heidelberg United: 23
Draws: 19
Last Time They Met
Round 4, Friday 28 February 2025, 7:30pm @ The Home of The Matildas.
Heidelberg United 1 (Ali 58);
Preston Lions 1 (Jeggo 80).
Referee: Adam Bavcar.
Heidelberg United: Yaren Sozer, Benjamin Collins, Jamal Ali, Anthony Lesiotis, Cherif Mohamed Aidara, Bul Juach (Peter Klaassen 66), Sebit James Ngor (Fletcher Fulton 82), Dalibor Markovic (Chok Dau 82), Asahi Yokokawa (Johnny Apostolopoulos 82), Max Bisetto (Jay McGowan 75), Ryan Lethlean; Coach: John Anastasiadis; Cautions: Markovic 33, Lesiotis 86, Dau 90+4.
Preston Lions: Bon Scott, Michael Boffey, Aaron Anderson, Emile Peios, Lleyton Brooks (Sammy Dib 75), Marcus Schroen (Noah Spaseski 75), Matthew Bozinovski, Jason Romero (Brandon Lauton 75), Oliver Kubilay (Luc Jeggo 69), Stefan Nigro, Gian Albano (Connor Bell 75); Coach: Lou Acevski; Cautions: Anderson 6, Boffey 20, Jeggo 85.
Watch the last time they met
Key Matchup: Which Star Will Shine?
The Lions have suffered injuries to several of their star strikers throughout the season but are blessed by the return to full fitness of Lleyton Brooks. The former Victory star has been impressive in a debut season at Genis Steel which has yielded 6 goals in 12 starts. When Brooks’ scores, the Lions invariably win, and they will look to the 24-year-old to continue his midas touch in front of goal.
Jason Romero hasn’t missed a beat, or a game, this season, his haul of 6 goals illustrative of his long-range finishing and desire to shoot on sight. Another Romero masterclass will go a long way to giving the hosts the edge in this one.
The Bergers can lay claim to having more in their arsenal, with the second-best attack in the league complemented by the equal-best defence. Bul Juach has been one of the signings of the season, accumulating a double-digit goal tally (11 goals) and delivering upon the expectations no doubt set by John Anastasiadis at the beginning of the season.
Sabit Ngor arguably had his best performance of the season in last week’s draw against the Saints, scoring a brace and underlining the potential value he can add for the remainder of the home-and-away season as the Bergers battle for the NPLM Premiership.
One can’t possibly forget the goalscoring exploits of Jamal Ali, the defender has been a standout in bombing forward and creating headaches for opposition defences, scoring 6 goals of his own in what has been a standout campaign.
It might not be a case of which star will shine at Genis Steel Stadium, but how many?
The 2025 NPLM Round 17 Match of the Round will be broadcast live and free on the NPL Victoria YouTube Channel.
Commentators:
Josh Parish and Mark Ivkovic.
NPLM Round 17 Matches
• Friday 6 June, 7:30pm: Green Gully vs Port Melbourne Sharks @ Green Gully Reserve
• Friday 6 June, 8:30pm: St Albans Saints vs South Melbourne @ Churchill Reserve
• Friday 6 June, 8:30pm: Preston Lions vs Heidelberg United @ Genis Steel Stadium
• Friday 6 June, 8:30pm: Hume City vs Dandenong City @ Nasiol Stadium
• Saturday 7 June, 7:00pm: Dandenong Thunder vs Altona Magic @ George Andrews Reserve
• Sunday 8 June, 7:00pm: Melbourne Knights vs Oakleigh Cannons @ Tompsett Stadium
• Monday 9 June, 5:00pm: Melbourne Victory vs Avondale @ The Home of The Matildas