- Melbourne Knights have won 7 and drawn 1 of their last 8 home fixtures in NPL Victoria 2.
- Brunswick Juventus have lost 2 of their last 3 away fixtures.
- Melbourne Knights have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 matches.
Melbourne’s home fortress hard to break
Melbourne Knights are placed second in NPL Victoria 2, having picked up 35 points from their 16 games this season. They enter Friday's clash with Brunswick Juventus in great form, with 4 wins and 1 draw in their last 5 games. Knights have had a solid start to their home season, winning 7 and drawing 1 of their 8 home fixtures, including their most recent 3, a 4-0 thrashing of Eltham Redbacks.
Just 5 points behind them in third place, Brunswick Juventus have also had a good start to the season, picking up 30 points from 16 games. However, they have struggled on the road at times, winning 5 and losing 4 of their 9 games on the away fixtures, conceding an average of 1.56 goals per game.
An exciting match-up of styles
Knights are compact, physical and play with a very pragmatic, direct style. They are just as comfortable sitting deep and counter-attacking quickly and ruthlessly. Their style makes them very difficult to break down at home and will make Friday's game a real test of Juventus' patience and ability to play a possession-based game.
In contrast, Juventus pride themselves on a more technical, patient style of play, favoring a build-up over a compact defensive structure, with full-backs overlapping and supporting the wide men. Both teams are looking to finish strongly in the promotion race, with 10 games to go, so expect a fiery game.
Going for the draw
With both teams looking to make a charge for promotion, expect a fiercely contested 90 minutes on Friday. Melbourne Knights' strong home record and good form make them the bookies' favourite at 1.82, with Brunswick Juventus 3.48 and the draw at 3.78. A draw would not be a disaster for either team and the fact that these two Croatian and Italian heritage teams always have a bit extra to prove when they play each other will make this game even more intense.
Melbourne Knights have conceded just 0.38 goals per home game in NPL Victoria 2, and are scoring at 2.25 per game at home this season. With Juventus conceding an average of 1.56 away goals, the BTTS-NO at 2.69 looks an excellent choice for this one.
