The FFA Cup round of 16 action begins tonight, with some intriguing matches taking place.
One of the biggest of the night will see a local derby, with Edgeworth FC hosting Newcastle Jets at the Jack McLaughlan Oval. Adding to the spice is the inclusion of Edgeworth striker Daniel McBreen, who is employed as the coach of Newcastle’s Under-15 team. It is too difficult to predict the winner of this match, with Edgeworth sitting in second position in NPL Northern NSW. Having upset Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park a fortnight ago, the Jets will be keen to continue their run in this year’s competition.
Down south in the Sydney suburb of Bossley Park, Marconi Stallions will take on Melbourne City. The four-time NSL Champions finished in fifth position in NPL NSW, however fell to Sydney United in the Elimination Final. On the other hand, Melbourne City are in the middle of their pre-season and defeated Campbelltown City 3-1 in the round of 32. One player City must watch out for is Marconi striker Mitchell Mallia, who has had A-League experience and is dangerous in front of goals.
Olympic FC and Adelaide United will do battle tonight at Perry Park in Brisbane. Currently sitting in fourth position in NPL Queensland, Olympic suffered a 4-1 defeat to Brisbane Strikers on the weekend and will be looking to get back to winning ways. Adelaide will need to ensure that they do not get complacent, as they were eliminated with a 2-1 defeat to Redlands United at this venue back in the 2016 edition of this competition. Their 5-2 victory over Melbourne Knights last round showed that they are very capable of scoring goals.
Finally, Moreland Zebras will host Magpies Crusaders FC at CB Smith Reserve in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner. The Zebras, who currently are in second position in NPL 2 West Vic, have done well to make it to this stage of the competition and a victory tonight will be a massive achievement for the club. Magpies Crusaders sit in 12th position in NPL Queensland and defeated Coomera Colts 2-1 in their round of 32 match last month. This matchup looks to be an entertaining contest and it is too hard to predict a winner.
Next week’s allotment of matches will take place next Wednesday, with the draw for the Quarter-Finals to be conducted immediately after.
