- Devonport City are the narrow favourites to beat Kingborough Lions in Monday's FFA Cup qualification round.
- The hosts have won four of their last five competitive games and have hit 16 goals in that run.
- Devonport have won 26 of the 36 head-to-head clashes, with only ten wins for Kingborough.
Tasmanian top dogs do battle
Devonport City and Kingborough Lions are likely to be the top two or three teams in NPL Tasmania this season, so Monday's Australia Cup clash is a high-stakes encounter.
The visitors are the current favourites to win with a 1.94 price, but the hosts have it all to play for with a 3.02 quote ahead of this match.
It is the City who are on the front foot, sitting top of the table on around 27 points to Kingborough's 24 and it is their consistency that has kept them there.
Simon Edwards' team have won four of their last five league games in 2026 and that defeat - a 2-3 loss at the hands of South Hobart - is their only slip-up.
Otherwise, the Lions have blown teams away, including recent 7-1 and 4-0 wins on the road that have shown their potential to devastate opposition teams.
Noah Mies leads the line, regularly contributing goals and assists, while the likes of Eli Luttmer and Eli Wright have also featured regularly in the goals recently.
Hosts will have a go
That makes for a very good watch against a Devonport side that will play on the front foot and look to dictate the game through the midfield and full-backs. Daniel Syson's men play a pressing, proactive style of football and are capable of producing some great soccer, especially when Colin Innes is on fire - as he was recently.
The midfielder scored a hat-trick to hand the Strikers a 1-4 win and is the catalyst for their creativity and energy.
His presence will make this game a thrilling end-to-end contest, especially if the weather stays mild and sunny for the home side. Edwards sets his team up to be compact and organised, soaking up pressure and then counterattacking at pace.
But he wants his team to have a go and score goals, which they have done so effectively in the past few weeks.
Strikers can edge it
With both teams at full strength and bringing their best attacking weapons to the table, there should be plenty of attacking play on display at Lightwood Park.
Devonport's consistency and cup experience makes them the most likely winners, but Kingborough are in such good form and have home advantage that this should be a close and exciting match.
An 'over 2.5 goals' bet is the main selection as the 1.44 market on the market is heavily favoured, while I'm going with a 2-1 win for Devonport City in the correct score market with an expectation that this could go to extra-time given how resilient the Lions can be in cup matches.
