- Hakoah Sydney City East are the slight favourites at 1.97 with Dulwich Hill 3.06 and the draw 3.74.
- Dulwich Hill’s recent form has been poor with only one win and four defeats in their last five competitive matches.
Dulwich Hill looking to avoid relegation battle
Dulwich Hill F.C. coach Berhan Brandon Ackalmaz has taken over from youth team duties to improve the defensive resilience of his new senior squad as the club bids to avoid a relegation battle in New South Wales League 1 2026.
Ackalmaz will have to find some stability at the back after the Hill shipped 15 goals in their final five competitive league games of 2025. They won one and lost four of those, a result which should have been better if not for a flurry of defensive lapses in the second halves of games. Mark Younes remains their creative spark, but the off-season departure of Daniel Fornito, who had a strong impact late in the 2025 season, will have to be offset elsewhere.
Jesper Webber, Marcus Lal, keeper Patrick Williams and centre-back Jan Schmidt have been some of the notable off-season arrivals, all of whom will be expected to play key roles from the start of the 2026 campaign. The team will set up in a compact, midfield-centric shape, looking to be tough to crack defensively and hit opponents on the counter or from set pieces.
Hakoah hope to kick-off the new season with a win
Hakoah Sydney City East’s 2025 campaign was disappointing for Craig Sharpley’s men, who could not break into the top half of League One and finished 11th in a fairly mediocre display. The squad has remained largely settled for 2026 as Sharpley tries to tighten up his defence while maintaining the same attacking intent that made them frustrating opponents in the latter stages of last season.
Hakoah’s end-of-season form was patchy, but they finished the 2025 season with a flourish in a 5 - 0 win which indicated that the team could carry some momentum into the new campaign. Hakoah are a patient team that like to play wide, looking to break down compact defences by keeping possession in the wide areas and forcing a team to make mistakes.
Nicholas Tooley is their main scoring threat, having hit double figures in 2025, while Valentin Cuny can be a set-piece and aerial threat that can pop up with the odd goal. Gabriel Antoniades and Paul Araullo added to the attack in the final third of 2025, giving the club more options to get forward.
Home advantage may prove key
Hakoah are a more settled side with a better recent head-to-head record against Dulwich Hill, winning four of the last six meetings including the three most recent. But the hosts have a new look about them and they may be able to spoil the party with home support at Arlington Oval if the new players gel quickly.
This fixture should provide plenty of scope for tactical play with Hakoah’s wide-based attack looking to get the better of Dulwich Hill’s compact block. The weather should be cloudy and comfortable at around 23-24 degrees, the perfect temperature for both teams to execute their game plan.
We’re going to take the visitors to edge out a close game in what could be a classic game of chess on the pitch, but home advantage and the hosts’ new look squad could cause an upset.
