- Newmarket have won four of their last five competitive games, including several multi-goal victories.
- The Hawks have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Newmarket have scored at least three goals in three of their last five games.
Top dogs set to tussle in a tale of two styles
Newmarket can maintain their position in the Queensland Premier League 3 with victory at Mount Gravatt Hawks in Saturday's Gold Coast derby.
These are two clubs with contrasting philosophies - at least as expressed on the pitch - that have brought contrasting results this season. Newmarket are a pressing, passing, high-tempo side with plenty of width, movement and a willingness to attack, while the Hawks are a compact, reactive team that sits deep and counters.
It's all a little more complex than that, of course, but the match of these styles should make for an interesting encounter, particularly in wide areas and at the transitions. Josh Hempstead's team have got the formula right in recent weeks, which has seen them move up to the top of the table with four wins in their last five.
They can thank the squad for that because that's where the goals and assists are coming from. They are in fine form up front and that makes them more than capable of breaking down their opponents.
High-scoring clash could go either way
Mount Gravatt have won and lost their two previous games by a single goal, but they were a 4-3 victory over North Lakes United and a 3-2 defeat to AC Carina - two high-scoring contests where the Hawks got themselves into trouble by not being tight enough at the back.
Bojan Vilic's team certainly has the talent to hurt Newmarket on the counter with Mathew Berkeley and Matthew Grigg up front, Sami Munir in behind and the pace of Matthew Pattison and Jason Brouw behind the attackers.
Arvind Naidu's new team are a different proposition to what the visitors have faced before so there may be some teething problems, but the odds on Newmarket - 1.73 - are much too short here given the Hawks' odds of 3.33 and the draw at 4.7. We'll take the visitors to prevail by a single goal because they have the momentum and the league position, but the Hawks' home advantage and counter-attacking quality should keep it close.
Recent history points to a close clash
Newmarket have had the better of the head-to-head record in FQPL3 since 2022, winning four, drawing four and losing only one of their nine meetings with the Hawks. But most games have been tight affairs and we are expecting another close clash on Saturday.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.29 looks a little on the short side here, but we will take that because the weather forecast of fine and mild makes it suitable for a game that Newmarket are likely to push for a win. A 2-1 away win is the preferred correct score bet because of the recent history of close clashes between these clubs and the way Newmarket have been playing.