- FC Melbourne Serbia are undefeated in their last 5 games (Won 3, Drawn 2).
- North Geelong Warriors have won 2 and lost 3 of their last 5 matches.
Two very different philosophies go head-to-head
NPL Victoria 2's classic 'structure vs transitions' fixture takes place on Saturday when FC Melbourne Serbia host North Geelong Warriors.
Serbia are the bookies' favourites at 1.99 to take all three points, but it is difficult to go against a Warriors side that will be full of beans following Stuart Begg's recent appointment as manager.
Stuart Begg has brought a fresh energy to the club, which has been reflected in a series of proactive performances from a youthful squad with a hunger to play on the front foot.
North Geelong Warriors bounced back from their 2-1 away defeat to Melbourne Knights with a 3-0 home win over North Sunshine Eagles SC, although they have lost their two most recent away games.
Three months ago, they beat Serbia 2-1 at home in NPL Victoria 2 and should be fresh off the back of the Begg bounce in this fixture. Serbia have not tasted defeat in their last four home games (Won 3, Drawn 1) and are a resilient side when playing in front of their fans, but they did have to be satisfied with a 0-0 draw at home to a mediocre Langwarrin SC last time out.
Melbourne Serbia are 9th in NPL Victoria 2 with 20 points from 15 games, one fewer than North Geelong in 8th spot, and they play their best football when they are set up correctly by coach Željko Popović in a disciplined 4-2-3-1 formation.
The Melbourne Croats are a compact, organised unit that will look to frustrate their opponents and punish them on the counter-attack and from set-pieces.
North Geelong Warriors are a higher tempo side, which means this game could be won and lost in the midfield where Begg's team will look to get on the ball early and use their athleticism to make vertical runs down the wings.
We think this is going to be a close encounter and like the look of the 'Over 2.5 goals' option at 1.36 because of the contrast in styles and the fact that both teams have been involved in some high-scoring games in recent times.
But we'll chance Serbia to win at a shade of favorite odds because they have been undefeated in their last five and are more likely to win at home (Won 5, drawn 1, lost 2) than North Geelong away from home this season (Won 2, lost 5).
