A huge weekend of men’s football awaits as the NPL draws to a close and the first round of the FQPL finals begin.
In the NPL, Peninsula Power remain five points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand over second-placed Brisbane Roar.
With Power at home to Magpies Crusaders this weekend, the NPL premiership is now theirs to lose.
However, Brisbane Roar are still in with a chance of snatching the premiership as they look to return to winning ways this Saturday against Capalaba FC.
It is a big weekend for Lions FC, Sunshine Coast Wanderers and Olympic FC, who are all battling to secure their spot in the finals.
Lions take on Gold Coast United at home, while the Wanderers meet an Olympic side that need a win to keep their finals hopes alive.
Meanwhile, its do-or-die for Magpies Crusaders and Redlands United who both need a win this weekend to avoid relegation.
Fans can watch all First Grade NPL and FQPL matches LIVE on NPL.TV, free for Australian residents.
FQPL 1 Finals
Brisbane City take on Western Pride for the second consecutive week as they look to take out the FQPL 1 double.
City were the runaway premiers this season and showed their class last weekend with a 2-0 win over Pride.
Having lost both their games against City this season, the Pride will need to pull off a huge performance to progress to the Grand Final.
The same is true for SWQ Thunder, who will be looking for their first win over Rochedale Rovers this season.
Both sides have had a mixed run of form over the past few weeks, with Rovers losing two and winning one, and Thunder winning two and drawing two.
If Saturday night’s game is anything like their Round 5 meeting, which ended 4-3 after going right down to the final moments, this Semi Final will be a classic.
FQPL 2 Finals
After a season of domination, FQPL 2 premiers Caboolture FC enter the Finals Series having lost three games on the trot.
The Snakes come up against North Star at home for the second consecutive week after losing 3-2 last Saturday.
North Star turned around a 2-0 half-time deficit to register their first win over Caboolture this season, which will surely give them a big confidence boost ahead of the Finals Series.
In the other Semi Final, Taringa Rovers are up against old rivals Grange Thistle at Jack Speare Park.
Not much has separated the two sides this season, with both finishing on 39 points with 11 wins, six draws and four losses each.
Taringa may have the slight upper hand with the home ground advantage and a memory of their Round 12 win over Grange.
Key players:
Yuta Hirayama (Brisbane City): City’s top scorer, who has scored at a rate of almost a goal a game this season, comes up against his former club this weekend.
Cooper McCormack (Rochedale Rovers): Has a knack for scoring late goals, which may come in handy this weekend.
Luke Perry (North Star): Scored the first goal and the winner in North Star’s 3-2 win over Caboolture last weekend.
Cameron Crestani (Caboolture FC): Crestani’s big-game experience will be crucial as Caboolture look to turn around their recent form slump and qualify for the Grand Final.
Click here for the NPL Round 19 Schedule.
Click here for the FQPL 1 Semi Final Schedule.
Click here for the FQPL 2 Semi Final Schedule.
Image: Josh Springfield