Melbourne Knights FC Official Website 
The Melbourne Knights return to Somers Street this weekend to face the St. Albans Saints, in a season-defining fixture.
The Knights are coming off the back of a tough slog on the road, after falling to both Bentleigh and Heidelberg over the last fortnight.
Last weekend, the Knights travelled to Olympic Park in round 18 action to face off against the Bergers. Although the side fought until the final whistle, the results unfortunately weren’t there for the side, losing 3-2. Well-worked goals from Luka Celic and Gian Albano had fans on the edge of their seat for the full 90 minutes, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Our opponents this week, played a 0-0 stalemate against the Bentleigh Greens. After the final whistle, it was evident that either side could have pocketed the three points, but wayward chances cost both sides.
The Knights currently sit ninth on the table with 22 points. While St. Albans are 11th, only one point behind on 21. Although both teams are still in the hunt for finals football, at this stage of the competition, points would not only bring them closer to that feat, but also fend off any notions of relegation.
These sides last faced in round six of this year’s competition. On the road, the Knights prevailed, winning 2-0, bringing all three points back home. Despite an excellent team effort, it was Mohamed Sumaoro and Albano who snagged second half goals in order to claim the points.
The Melbourne Knights will have to be extra cautious of the Saints’ main man in front of goal – Zander Guy, who has notched up a tally of seven goals from 15 matches, the fifth-most goals scored by an individual this season. For the Knights, Gian Albano remains the top scorer for the season, nabbing his ninth goal of the season last week, proving he will be trouble for our opponents.
Melbourne Knights FC:
Squad: 1- Harry Cakarun (GK), 2- Jack Marth, 4- Theiry Iradukunda, 5- Ayden Brice (C), 6- Anthony Duzel, 7- George Ott, 9- Luka Celic, 10- Gian Albano, 11- Justin Micallef, 12- Andy Robertson, 14- Anthony Frangie, 16- Mohammad Sumaoro, 17- Trevor Ssemakula, 18- Jack Morton, 19- Luka Kolic, 21- Thomas Manos (GK), 23- Steve Sokol, 24- Ivan Miletic, 77- Lionel Masudi
Head Coach: Steve Bebic
St. Albans Saints SC
Squad: 1- Hayden Browne (GK), 2- Hakeem al-Araibi, 3- Chris Dib, 4- Nikola Jurkovic, 5- Adam Hodor, 6- Brad Murray, 7- Mouad Zwed, 8- Stefan Baricevic, 9- Breno Naranjo Guerrini, 10- Zelfy Nazary, 11- Joey Monek, 12- Ivan Razumic, 13- Monty Kristovskis, 14- Luca Toro, 15- Phillip Lesar, 16- Michael Grgic, 17- Anthony Dezic, 18- Diego Miranda Ciudad Real, 19- Steven Razov, 20- Sime Brzoja, 21- Willem Lejeune (GK), 22- Zander Guy, 37- Ante Razov
Head Coach: Kruni Razov
2022 NPL Victoria Round 19 – Melbourne Knights FC v St. Albans Saints SC
Date: Friday, June 24
Kick-off: 7:30PM (AEST)
Venue: Knights Stadium, Sunshine North
Where to watch: Livestream via NPL TV
