- Eltham are the form favourites to win at 1.84, but 3.34 is a fair price for the visitors. Eltham Redbacks have won 5, drawn 4 and lost just 1 of their 10 home games in NPL Victoria 2 2026. FC Melbourne Serbia have won 3 and lost 2 of their last 5, but come into this on the back of two 0-1 losses. Eltham average 2.90 goals scored and 1.60 conceded at home, while Melbourne average 1.00 goal scored and 1.44 conceded away, so a draw is the sensible selection.
Wide or wide open at Eltham?
Eltham Redbacks are 6th in NPL Victoria 2 2026, having collected 32 points from 21 games, while FC Melbourne Serbia are 8th having picked up 29 points from 20 matches, so this is a mid-table matchup. Alan Mulcahy's Eltham are the clear favourites to take the victory here at 1.84 and, given their superior home record and Serbia's away struggles, that seems fair enough, but we don't have to go with the bookmakers' fancy to secure a tasty return.
Eltham's home record in NPL Victoria 2 2026 is an impressive 5 wins, 4 draws and just 1 defeat from 10. However, their form has been a mixed bag recently with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats from their last 5, so the visitors might be feeling their odds of 3.34 are a bit on the generous side. Eltham's last two home games has seen them win 1 and lose 1, but they won their most recent outing at home 3-1 and looked sharp when doing so.
Melbourne Srbija are a team built on a compact mid-block and they aim to keep the central lanes between their defence and midfield as tight as possible while hoping to win counters on the break and steal a goal. Željko Popović's side are coming off the back of a 2-match losing streak, suffering two 0-1 defeats on the trot at home to Manningham United Blues and Port Melbourne Sharks SC, but they had managed to dig their way to a couple of results before that.
On the road, Melbourne Srbija have won 3, drew 1 and lost 5 of their 9 trips in NPL Victoria 2 2026, averaging 1.00 goal scored per game and 1.44 conceded per game, so they will have to earn their results away from home.
The clash of styles here should make for a proper width-versus-block encounter, with Eltham looking to stretch the game wide, either by fast-playing their attacking third or delivering from wide areas. Serbia will look to stay tight and nick it in one moment of transition. Eltham average 2.90 goals scored and 1.60 conceded at home in NPL Victoria 2 2026, so this game should feature plenty of end-to-end play.
The hosts are faster and more attack-minded than Serbia, so they should edge it, but the 3.86 draw is still a good bit of work and keeps this in the upset category rather than a foregone conclusion. Eltham's superior home form and their recent 2-1 away victory over Serbia three months ago means they know how to land a punch on Serbia, but Serbia's structure and away resilience should keep this close for large periods.
Backing both teams to score at 1.36 might be the safe play, but we will take 1.35 on over 2.5 goals and a close Eltham win, as Serbia will be sitting deep and hoping to nick it via a set-piece or a counter.
