- Preston Lions are the form team with 4 wins and 1 draw from their last 5 matches.
- Preston Lions are the head-to-head leaders with 3 wins and 2 draws from the last 5 meetings (Dandenong haven't won).
- Dandenong City are at 2.98.
Preston have the momentum and the advantage
Preston Lions travel to the Dandenong Reserve as the narrow favourites at 2.09, but we're sticking with the visitors on Saturday's match result market because the bookies have this one just about right. Dandenong City are a good side who will make them work hard for a win, but this looks a Preston-leaning game that is unlikely to break the way of the hosts at 2.98.
Dandenong City are in decent form at the moment with two straight wins after they drew 0-0 at Green Gully Cavaliers, but that was a tough away fixture. However, Dandenong City are 8th in NPL Victoria 2026 with 33 points from 24 games which isn't bad, but probably a fair reflection of the side that Nick Tolios has assembled. They're solid in the middle of the table, but there is some ground to make up on the promotion places.
Dandenong are a compact and pragmatic outfit, set up in a 4-4-2 that is designed to stop the ball from getting in the central areas and to break with pace. They've played 12 home fixtures in NPL Victoria 2026 and their record of six wins, three draws and three defeats along with 20 goals scored at an average of 1.67 per game, suggests that they can get the job done if they can keep it tight.
Preston Lions are coming into this one in far better form than Dandenong, having won their last two matches - 1-4 away at Brunswick Juventus in the cup and 3-0 over Dandenong Thunder SC in the league - and they are 2nd in NPL Victoria 2026 with 49 points from 24 games, making them one of the genuine title chasers.
Tolios and the Hawks won’t make this easy for Preston
Zoran Markovski's side will be difficult to stop this weekend as they play a higher tempo game than their opponents and are more than capable of controlling possession. Preston can get bodies behind the ball, but they are also a team that can push forward in numbers and with real energy, especially in transition.
Lupce Acevski's men have been in great shape on the road this season with eight wins, two draws and just two defeats from 12 away matches in NPL Victoria 2026. They've only conceded eight goals on the road, an average of 0.67, so Preston can certainly make this tight.
That should make for a chess match of sorts with Dandenong's low-block game against Preston's control and pressure in the final third. Preston have the advantage, however, and it may just be a question of whether they can do enough to edge out their hosts. The market is going for an open game with over 2.5 goals at 1.68 and both teams to score at 1.57 (yes), so we'll take the latter to cover ourselves if the match ends 2-0 to the visitors.
A Preston win or both teams to score looks the sharpest angle here, with the visitor's lofty league position, superior away record and head-to-head advantage all favouring them in what should be a tight encounter. Acevski has been in charge of Makedonija since 11 April 2017, so he has had plenty of time to get this side on the right track and they've certainly done that. Nahuel Bonada has provided a sharp edge of late, notching two goals in Preston's last 5 fixtures.
