The spotlight returns to Victoria for the start of Round 3 of the Australian Championship as two NPL powerhouses battle for vital points on Friday night.
Preston Lions v Avondale
Watch live on SBS On Demand and the Football Australia YouTube channel.
Kick-off: 7:35 pm (AEDT)
Venue: Genis Steel Stadium
Two NPL Victoria rivals are in action in the second all-Victoria Friday night match-up of the tournament.
Lions have had a frustrating start to the Championship, leading in both of their matches, but failing to come out on top.
In Round 2, Preston took the lead twice against Canberra Croatia in the first half, going in the sheds 2-1, courtesy of goals to Adisu Bayew and Oliver Kubilay.
Maxx Green’s brace for Canberra saw Preston fall to the foot of the Group C table.
Avondale also gave up a lead in their clash with NWS Spirit, holding a 2-0 advantage, following Bruno Fornaroli’s second of the tournament and Kristian Trajceski.
The side suffered a swift comeback from Spirit, and trailed 3-2 heading deep into stoppage time, where Aamir Abdallah salvaged a point to keep Avondale top of the group on points.
These results leave Group C tight, with only three points separating first-placed Avondale and fourth-placed Lions.
In Round 6 of the NPL Victoria campaign, Avondale downed Preston 3-1, before the teams shared the points with a 1-1 draw in Round 19.
A win for Lions on Friday would take the side level on points with Avondale, while a victory for Avondale would guarantee them first heading into Round 4.
With Group C still firmly in the balance, a victory on Friday night either way would go a long way to shaping the success of the tournament for these teams.