With four rounds left to play in the NPLW, the tightest battle is down the bottom of the table; with three clubs all within a point, the battle to survive relegation looks likely to go down to the final day.
Brunswick Juventus (12 points), Bentleigh Greens (11 points) and Calder United (11 points) all face stern tests against top six opposition, any potential upsets likely to be a massive determining factor as to who will retain their NPL status come 2025.
Elsewhere, Preston will look to keep pressure on Bulleen for top place, whilst also weary of the chasing pack below, looking to crack into the top two.
Calder United v South Melbourne: Saturday 3:00pm
Calder may have the best chance of adding to their points tally out of the relegation-threatened teams, as they welcome fifth-placed South Melbourne.
A point and significant goal difference behind Brunswick, Calder will likely need a win at some point throughout the final stages of the league to earn safety and they’ll be hoping that three points can come here.
South Melbourne - who are winless in their last four - will want to steady the ship to ensure they don’t fall too close to slipping out of the finals places. They hold a seven-point advantage over Boroondara, but the last thing that South want to do is to leave a top four position in doubt going into the final rounds.
Bentleigh Greens v Bulleen Lions: Saturday 4:00pm
Whilst in a relegation battle, the last team you want to see on the fixture list is the team coming home strong in their bid for a Premiership. But that’s exactly what Bentleigh will have to contend with when they host Bulleen this week.
Six points clear of their nearest competition, the Lions will be looking to drive home their advantage and open up a further lead, before turning their eyes to next weekend’s 2024 Nike FC Cup Final against Preston Lions.
Brunswick Juventus v Essendon Royals: Saturday 3:00pm
The other team fighting for their survival will host third-placed Essendon. Brunswick are the team currently sitting in safety, but their tally of 12 points is unlikely to hold up until the end of the season, so will be looking to claim a scalp over the Royals here.
Essendon however are in a race of their own. Only denied a top two spot on goal difference to Preston, they are also still within touching distance of Bulleen at the peak of the table.
They’ll need to dispatch of Brunswick and hope for both Lions to slip up, to keep the pressure on the league leaders going into the final three games.
Box Hill United v Boroondara-Carey Eagles: Friday 7:30pm
Box Hill will be looking to jump above their current position on the ladder, but a top four spot looks beyond doubt.
The Eagles themselves looking to improve their current standing of seventh. Not only three points towards your end of season charge, but three points denied to a direct competitor is the prize on offer in this one.
A loss for Box Hill here and they can likely say goodbye to any realistic chance of making the playoffs.
FV Emerging v Heidelberg United: Saturday 3:00pm
Coming into this game as the only team to win all four of their previous fixtures, Heidelberg will look to keep the momentum flowing as they travel to take on the FV Emerging squad.
Whilst an eight-point gap to first leaves hopes of a Premiership dangling by a thread, a top two place and a bye to the preliminary finals is well on the cards if they can earn victory this round.
FV meanwhile sit only three points outside of finals contention and will look to capitalise on a tricky Alamein fixture if they were to secure a victory in this one, in what will be a pivotal match for both sides.
Preston Lions v Alamein FC: Friday 8:30pm
Whilst they will need results to go their way to give Bulleen a realistic challenge for the Premiership, Preston will be looking to control the controllables as they take on Alamein in a bid to stay in touch.
Of course, there’s also the matter of the chasing Essendon and Heidelberg to keep at bay, as they look to hold their top two place at a minimum, before turning their attention to the Nike FC Cup Final at The Home of the Matildas next weekend.
For Alamein, a loss against Preston and the race for the top four gets blown wide open, which they will desperately be trying to prevent. They hold a slender two-point gap to seventh, but a loss here has the potential to drop them out of the finals places.