- Northcote City are 2nd in NPL Victoria 2 2026 with 49 points from 24 games, two points ahead of 3rd-placed Brunswick Juventus.
- Brunswick Juventus beat Northcote City 1-0 at home in NPL Victoria 2 2026 three months ago and have won two of the last three head-to-head meetings between the two.
- Northcote have won seven, drawn three and lost two of their 12 home fixtures in NPL Victoria 2 2026.
Northcote and Brunswick ready for a promotion scrap
Northcote City will hope to keep their promotion push on track when they host Brunswick Juventus in NPL Victoria 2 2026 on Friday, although it is anybody's guess how close either or both of these sides will be to achieving that lofty goal by the end of the campaign.
Northcote are right in the thick of the promotion race, currently sitting 2nd in NPL Victoria 2 2026 with 49 points from their opening 24 games, while Brunswick are only two points behind City in 3rd. The top end of the table is very congested and both sides will be aware that they need a good run of form to keep their promotions hopes alive.
Northcote have won one of their last four home games (W1, D1, L2) and haven't beaten Brunswick Juventus in their last home game against these opponents, so there's a bit of a psychological edge to be had for the visitors coming into the match on Friday. Hraklis have won their last two matches, however, beating Port Melbourne Sharks SC 3-1 away and Eltham Redbacks 1-0 at home, and will need to rely on the fresh approach of Max Clarke in the new era to deliver.
Brunswick Juventus have taken two wins, two draws and a defeat from their last five matches, hardly a torrid run, but not quite enough to have them feeling confident of taking a result in this tough away fixture. The Zebras have lost 4-1 to Preston Lions at home in the Australia Cup 2026 and drawn 1-1 with FC Melbourne Serbia in NPL Victoria 2 2026 in their two most recent outings.
Back a draw in a tight encounter
This has all the makings of a close top-three battle and although City are favourites at 2.24, we like the draw at 3.6 and will take it as our main selection, while both teams to score at 1.48 also looks a touch live considering the potential end-to-end feel of the 90 minutes.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.57 looks good in the correct score market as we see City using their extra ball control to push forward and a patient Juventus looking to pinch a goal on the break.
Northcote have scored 21 goals in their 12 home games in NPL Victoria 2 2026 and average 1.75 per match on home turf. They will hope to use their ball dominance to get on top of an opponent who have conceded just 14 goals in 12 away fixtures in NPL Victoria 2 2026.
Brunswick Juventus' set up looks a lot more like a 4-2-3-1 unit on paper, and they are more of a defensive, counterattacking side, built to be structurally sound and hit teams on the counterattack.
Nuh Sehavdic has scored two of Brunswick Juventus' five goals in their last five games, so we'll take the visiting forward to bag an away goal in this one.
