- Joondalup have won 4 of their last 5 Football West State League 1 matches, losing 1.
- Gwelup Croatia have drawn 3 and lost 2 of their last 5, failing to win any.
Riveting State League 1 clash
Saturday's Western Australian State League 1 fixture between Joondalup and Gwelup Croatia will see two mid-table teams playing their part in a very tightly packed mid-table race, with fourth-placed Joondalup on 15 points from 9 matches and 7th-placed Gwelup Croatia on 12, with just 1 point between the teams.
These two have produced plenty of goals and drama over their 5 meetings in 2026, with both teams scoring in most of them and an average of over three goals per game.
Joondalup boss Guy McDonald favours a more structured, possession-based style, with controlled build-up and a possession-dominant midfield to feed his forwards in 4-2-2-2 or 4-3-3 systems.
His side has shown real resilience, away from home especially, in 2026, winning 4 of 5 matches and losing 1.
Liam Peacock provides the captaincy and ballast in midfield for Joondalup, while the players around him - Louis Hadfield and Luke Steer in particular - do the damage in the final third.
Hadfield has a knack for scoring crucial goals, like his recent brace, while Steer is a constant threat.
Gwelup are a very different beast under new coach Toby Wright, who took over midway through the season and has put the foot down on the pedal.
They attack at a very high tempo, with direct transitions, wide runners and aggressive pressing to get Gwelup into the final third and force the opposition to make mistakes.
But they haven't been very solid at the back, shipping more goals than they'd like in recent weeks.
Jeremie Mba is the main danger, being Gwelup's top scorer and a danger on the break at all times, while Baptiste Poulland has scored key goals.
Rocco Liberti in goal has been forced to make several crucial saves as a result of his team's defensive shortcomings, but is yet to get much help from the defence.
Joondalup are on a roll
Given the recent form of these two clubs, Joondalup are the strong favourites for this game at 1.74, while Gwelup are 3.62.
We're backing the hosts to edge out a goal-heavy encounter given their good run of results, recent head-to-head dominance and the fact that they have much more at stake on Saturday as they seek to consolidate their place in the top 4.
Gwelup will do their utmost to prevent that, but they have not won in 5 games and need to snap out of their winless streak to push themselves into the top 4.
The odds on the 'Both teams to score - Yes' market are also very short - 1.4 - but that's about right considering that 4 of the 5 recent meetings between these sides have produced 3 or more goals.
We're expecting another goal-laden encounter with the potential for both sides to score, but Joondalup have the discipline and composure to hold out against Gwelup's pressing and should be able to keep the ball for long enough to break the opposition down.
If it's cool and perhaps damp at McDonald's Stadium on Saturday, the pitch could be slick and favour the side that can adapt to the conditions and deal with the physicality of the game.