- Eltham Redbacks are currently unbeaten at home in the league (W4, D3 from 7).
- Bulleen Lions are currently undefeated in their last 2 away fixtures (W1, D1).
- Bulleen Lions have won 3, drawn 3 and lost only 1 of their last 7 NPL Victoria 2 away fixtures.
Lions have the momentum
Bulleen Lions are a bit better placed than Eltham Redbacks in the NPL Victoria 2 2026 ladder but it is the Lions who have the better form coming into this Friday’s clash at John Parker Reserve.
Eltham have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five league games, while Bulleen have won two, drawn two and lost only one of theirs.
So the momentum is with the visitors here and the last time these two met three months ago in the NPL Victoria 2, Eltham were the away side and won 3-1.
That should add extra spice to the brewing rivalry between these teams and this should be a closely contested game with implications for the ladder.
Direct vs possession clash
Eltham are a direct, pragmatic football team that like to turn defenders quickly, win aerial duels and overload the box with set pieces.
Bulleen are a typical possession-based football team that use a deep-lying playmaker to control the flow of play and their full-backs to provide width.
The set piece battle and who wins the second ball will likely decide this clash between two very different styles of football.
Josh Dennett is a real handful for defenders and a big goal threat from Eltham’s long throws and set pieces, which Bulleen will have to take care of.
Back the visitors to grab a draw
The bookies have a slight preference for Eltham to win this match at 2.34, although Bulleen are not too far behind at 2.47.
That’s a bit surprising because Eltham are unbeaten at home, but have only won one of their last two home fixtures while Bulleen have avoided defeat in their last two on the road.
The game looks unlikely to be a cagey fixture with goals odds coming in at 1.49 and both teams to score at 1.44, which seems very generous considering the attacking talent each club possesses.
With both clubs still seeking momentum in mid-season, it seems likely that we will see a high-scoring draw or, if Eltham can find a way to edge the set-pieces, a home win.
Bulleen can vary their system from a 4-3-3 with lots of players forward to a more compact 4-4-1-1 when they need to keep a lead, which should help them cope with Eltham’s direct play.
