Melbourne City’s NPL side will be seeking to complete an unblemished opening month to the NPL2 Victorian season this Saturday; looking to make it four from four without defeat when they welcome Springvale White Eagles to La Trobe University.
After opening their season with back-to-back wins over Langwarrin SC and Murray United, City had their first draw of the campaign in their previous hit out: held to a 1-1 draw with the Lions of Bulleen at the Veneto Club on Monday night.
Midfielder Josh Cavallo opened the scoring for Palatsides’ squad on that night when he struck a left-footed thunderbolt into the top corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area in the 42nd minute.
Bulleen, however, would respond just minutes later when Daniel Mclennan had the ball in the back of the net as the game ticked over to first-half injury time.
That result means that City sits in the second position on the NPL2 Eastern Conference table following the first three games of the 2019 season, only behind the league-leading Eastern Lions on goal difference.
Opponents Springvale White Eagles currently reside in the seventh position on the Eastern Conference table, with a win, a draw and a loss to their names so far in 2019.
Last week, the side from Melbourne’s southeast went down 2-0 to the aforementioned Eastern Lions, John Doyle putting his side ahead in the 64th minute and Yianni Toumanidis sealing the result with a strike in the 89th.
City and Springvale met twice during the 2018 NPL2 season, splitting road wins between each other.
City drew first blood in round six of the season with a thumping 6-2 at the Serbian Sports Centre, with Zac Bates, Yusuf Ahmed, Josh Cavallo, Yasin Nur, and Moudi Najjar all on the scoresheet.
City, heavily depleted through international and A-League call ups, were unable to stage a repeat in the second meeting nonetheless, with a brace to Damir Stoilovic and strike from Bonel Obradovic propelling the White Eagles to the three points.
Match Details:
NPL Victoria – NPL2 Round Four
Saturday, 9 March 2019
Melbourne City FC v Springvale White Eagles FC
Venue: LaTrobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne
Kick-off: U20s – 12:30pm | Seniors 3:00pm
