Melbourne Knights FC Official Website Following a mammoth win over Hellas last weekend, the Knights will hope to continue their surge on the top six, when they face the Bentleigh Greens.
In their last NPL Victoria match, the Knights knocked off the league leaders – South Melbourne – in an affair going down to the final minute. The Knights caught an early lead thanks to Mohamed Sumaoro, but the visitors looked to steal a point with only four minutes of regular time remaining. In the 95th and final minute, an astonishing run by Gian Albano caused havoc in the Hellas defence. After turning his man twice, he found the back of the net to give the Knights all three points.
During the week, The Melbourne Knights hosted the Oakleigh Cannons in Round 7 of the Australia Cup. It wasn’t meant to be for the Knights, who lost 4-0 at home. A hat-trick from Joseph Knowles was enough to drown the Knights and end their campaign.
The Bentleigh Greens are coming off the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Heidelberg United. An intense second half saw all four goals, with the lead changing twice in the matter of minutes. The Greens will learn their fate in the seventh round of the Australia Cup next week when they face Banyule City FC.
Last time these sides faced was in Round 4 of the 2022 NPL Victoria season, the Knights claimed a marvellous 3-2 victory. Despite going 2-0 down in the first half, Sumaoro brought one goal back before the break. A second half brace from Albano was enough to see the Knights take the three points from their clutches.
This match will play a crucial role in the race for the top six. A Knights win would see them leapfrog the Greens, with the potential to move into the top six, if other results play out favourably. A loss, however, would put the Knights five points away from the top six. Nonetheless, points are crucially important as the club moves towards the final quarter of the season.
Pierce Waring will be one to watch out for, for the Knights. The spearhead has nailed seven goals from 12 matches, including one goal against the club on the last outing. However, for the Knights, Sumaoro and Albano have consistently been firing goals for the side and will no doubt cause problems for the Bentleigh back line.
Melbourne Knights FC:
Squad: 1- Harry Cakarun (GK), 2- Jack Marth, 3- Fuki Ishibashi, 4- Theiry Iradukunda, 5- Ayden Brice (C), 6- Anthony Duzel, 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
Bentleigh Greens SC:
Squad: 1- Pierce Clark (GK), 2- William Doumanis, 3- Jacob Alexander, 4- Ben Carrigan, 5- Jack Webster (C), 6- Corey Sewell, 7- Ajak Riak, 8- George Lambadaridis, 9- Brent McGrath, 10- Pierce Waring, 11- Lucas Derrick, 13- Mitch Hore, 14- Jordie van der Laan, 17- Danny Kim, 19- Tom Strickland, 20- Seb Matosevic (GK), 21- Ken Krolicki, 22- Jack Painter-Andrews, 23- Yagoub Mustafa, 28- Brady Pollard, 34- Joshua Jackson
Head Coach: Nick Tolios
2022 NPL Victoria Round 17 – Bentleigh Greens SC v Melbourne Knights FC
Date: Friday, June 10
Kick-off: 8:30PM (AEST)
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, Cheltenham
Where to watch: Livestream via NPLTV