- Preston Lions are the clear form team with three wins and a draw from their last five matches.
- Altona Magic are without their regular head coach Goran Lozanovski, who is serving a suspension.
- Preston Lions have a superior recent head-to-head record in this fixture with two wins and no defeats in the last two meetings.
Top of the table Preston should dominate in local derby
Preston Lions should have enough momentum and quality to take all three points when they face Altona Magic in the NPL Victoria 2026 fixture at Altona Sports Centre, this Saturday. The visitors go into this game in much superior form to the hosts with three consecutive wins and a run of three wins and a draw from their previous five.
Preston sit third in the table with 23 points from 12 games, while Altona are 13th with just 10 points from the same number of matches played. They are on a run of one win, two draws and two defeats from their last five, but their most recent result was a 5-1 defeat away to Avondale FC.
Altona have struggled at home this NPL season, with one win, one draw and four defeats from six, and they have scored just five goals in those matches. They usually line up in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation, in which they try to be compact in defence and patient in build-up.
Preston’s boss Lupce Acevski has brought a welcome stability and tactical discipline to the club since his appointment in 2017. The visitors prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation, which allows them to be organized in defence, create quick transitions and press at a medium-high level.
Lions’ double pivot should dictate the tempo
Saturday’s clash is a local derby so there will be plenty of spice to the occasion, which is unlikely to be diminished by recent off-field events at Altona. However, the form of the two clubs, the recent head-to-head records and Preston’s solid away form this season, tell us that Lions are in the best position to gain all three points.
The hosts may feel that they can upset the odds if they stick to their gameplan and are clinical in front of goal, but without their coach on the sideline they may struggle to make adjustments as the game unfolds. The double pivot that Acevski deploys should dictate the play and win the midfield battle that will be crucial to this contest.
Both teams to score at 1.65 is a good price given the attacking intentions of the sides, so we will take the 1.65 on offer for both teams to hit the back of the net in this clash.
