- Newcastle Olympic will look to control the ball, press high and force turnover in their 4-3-3.
- Kahibah FC will look to be compact, absorb pressure and look to hurt the opposition on the break.
Newcastle Olympic and Kahibah FC set up differently, game set to be open
Olympic sit 8th in the Northern New South Wales 2026 table with 13 points from 13 matches and are currently in a 3 match losing streak following a 1-2 home loss to Weston Workers and a 2-0 away loss to Adamstown Rosebud FC.
Kahibah FC sit 12th in the table with 10 points from 12 games and have struggled in recent weeks, losing all of their last 5 league matches, including defeats to Cooks Hill United FC and Lambton Jaffas FC.
An open and end to end match seems likely
Newcastle Olympic boss tries to set his team up in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, he likes his team to build up in a structured way, press high and have the ability to spread the ball wide quickly. The quality of his front 3 is what makes Olympic tick, the players are high pressers and work horses that if playing well, dictate the tempo of the game. If they play well on Sunday, Olympic should win the game at home. Kahibah coaches have tried to set up with a compact defensive block, looking to absorb pressure and hit the opposition on the counter. Kahibah have used their youthful pace and energy of their academy recruits well, but have lacked bite in the final third in the last 2 games, with no player getting on the scoresheet in either.
The bookies have Olympic as favourites with odds of 1.66 and make Kahibah FC underdogs at 3.98. Given the odds and recent form of both teams, Olympic are expected to regain the win on Sunday. This game has extra significance locally, as it is a clash between an established NPL side and a newly-promoted underdog trying to make history in their first season at this level. Given the contrasting styles of both sides, a clash of pressing vs pragmatic counter-attacking could lead to an open, end to end game. Olympic are defensively frail at home and Kahibah can score goals on the road. The over 2.5 goals line is sitting at 1.33, which seems generous considering the goals both teams score and concede.
