- Blacktown Spartans finished 3rd in the New South Wales League 1 2025 season with 54 points, while Hills United finished 9th with 38 points
- Blacktown Spartans have form over Hills United in the last two head-to-heads in the New South Wales League 1 (2-1 and 3-2 to Spartans)
- Blacktown have a W, L, W, W, L record in their last five competitive games
Spartans to edge Hills United in derby
Two strong and distinct teams will go head-to-head on Friday in this local derby at Blacktown Football Park that should be an entertaining encounter in front of the home fans. Blacktown will be the heavy favourites to win, but Hills United have a fresh look about them and a fresh approach to the season that could just upset the apple cart.
Spartans coach James Demetriou has his side playing in a pragmatic style with a lot of pressing to win the ball back and plenty of attacking intent when they get it. Aedon Kyra has been a regular attacking threat throughout the 2024-25 season.
Riley Chapple and Suleyman Bangura form the spine of their attack, while two new recruits - Austen Booth and Daniel Scally - will look to make an impact up front in 2026. The Spartans finished 2025 strongly with three wins in their last five, but an overall record of W-L-W-W-L is not great.
Dimi Petratos was the spark for Hills United in late 2025
Patrick Zwaanswijk has his Hills United side playing in a more balanced and organised manner, with possession dominance not always their goal, but plenty of discipline in defence and from the midfield to be a threat in transition.
Nicolai Muller and Yu Okubo provided the platform for attack from midfield in 2025, but Dimi Petratos’ return to form in the final quarter of the campaign saw him score decisive goals. Goalkeeper Ryan Wood made a series of saves when needed to keep the games close and Jesse Michel’s return to fitness will add depth and a bit of a spark to the squad.
Hills United also finished 2025 strongly, but an overall form of W-D-L-L-W is not the best way to go into a new season. They did show defensive resilience in the closing weeks of 2025, keeping clean sheets in late-season wins.
Open contest likely to favour Blacktown
The bookies are clearly favouring the hosts for this game at 1.59, with Hills United priced at 4.46 and the draw at 4.05. But Blacktown do have some superior squad depth, which ought to make them more likely to take the win.
Backing Over 2.5 goals at 1.48 looks a good play as four of the last five head-to-head games have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams have scored. These clubs are in different places and should play to their respective strengths, so we expect an open contest and one that the hosts can just edge.
