- Charlestown Azzurri have won just two of their five home games so far, conceding three goals in their three defeats.
- Lambton Jaffas FC have won three of their five away matches, averaging 2.20 goals per game away from home and conceding just one per game on the road.
Longstanding NNSW rivals renew rivalry at Charlestown
With Charlestown Azzurri in 9th place with 13 points from 11 games and Lambton Jaffas FC in 6th place with 17 points from 13 games, neither Charlestown Azzurri or Lambton Jaffas FC have had a great first half of the season in Northern New South Wales 2026, but both teams are still in with a chance of sneaking into the top six with the right results heading into the back half of the campaign. Lambton will be happier of the two heading into Sunday's meeting with their hosts, having won three of their last five, compared to Azzurri's one win and four losses over the same period.
Lambton Jaffas FC remain in the top half of the table in 6th spot on 17 points after 13 matches, but a 4-0 win at home to Kahibah FC three weeks ago was one of three league wins in their last five matches. Nonetheless, their away form has been solid with two wins and just one defeat from their last three, while Charlestown have lost their last two on home soil.
Lambton will look to control the flow of the game as they usually do, preferring a more possession-based style of football, and their system can vary between a 4-4-2 or a narrow midfield. Either way, Jaffas prefer to keep things compact and build up from the back. If they get their midfield players to press together, they can create overloads in the centre of the park, and they can hold onto the ball well when they're in the lead.
The tactical match up between these two longstanding NNSW foes is a chess match of possession vs. transition, where Charlestown's high pressing game will look to catch Jaffas off guard, and their flexible back four and ability to play on the counter will hopefully compensate for the lack of possession they will likely have. Jaffas are the more consistent outfit and will have more momentum going into this one, but the Azzurri have a few players who know how to play at the right times and have experience off the bench to inject some attacking drive when chasing a game.
Lambton to edge it at the weekend
We're backing the stronger side and the team in better form to win on Sunday. Jaffas have the extra psychological edge on this ground as Charlestown haven't beaten them here in recent meetings, so the visitors are our fancy at 2.03, while the home side are 2.98 and the draw 3.66. Azzurri will be confident of notching a couple themselves this weekend, so we're also going for over 2.5 goals at 1.41, which looks a good shout as both sides will give it a good go.
