- Oakleigh Cannons are 1st in NPL Victoria 2026 with 47 points from 21 games.
- South Melbourne FC are 6th in NPL Victoria 2026 with 32 points from 21 games.
Oakleigh the clear class on current form
Oakleigh are currently the top team in NPL Victoria 2026 and they're certainly the clear favourite to win this Friday's clash with South Melbourne FC, despite South Melbourne's strong form and the odds available for the visitors.
Oakleigh have gone 7-1-2 at home in NPL Victoria 2026, conceding just 13 goals in 10 fixtures. They've won their last 5 against South and will be confident of carrying that run onto 6 on Friday.
Chris Taylor has the Cannons playing the perfect brand of front-foot football for the modern age, with quick vertical transitions, wide overloads and a pressing shape which can morph into a compact block and vice versa. It's an exciting team to watch and their results back up their style of play.
The Cannons recent run of results reads like a top-side rut, 1-1 away at Caroline Springs George Cross, 2-0 home over Avondale FC, and 1-0 away at Hume City FC.
South Melbourne strong, but not as strong as Oakleigh
South Melbourne are having a solid campaign, but they haven't matched the level of Oakleigh and they come into this game on a run of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat across their last 5 matches.
Their recent results are also indicative of a top-flight side, but are nowhere near as impressive as Oakleigh's - 1-1 away at Caroline Springs George Cross, 2-0 home over Avondale FC, and 1-0 away at Hume City FC.
Sinisa Cohadzic's men are built around structured possession from the back and a high press when they don't have the ball. It's a good game plan and it has served them well, but Oakleigh have been the best in the state in 2026 and this looks like a fixture they simply cannot lose.
Oakleigh can deliver another statement win
Oakleigh are the 1.71 favourites for this clash and I will happily go against them here by siding with South Melbourne at 4.05. A safer option would be to take the draw at 3.7, but I'm going for the bigger number.
Oakleigh haven't lost to South in the last 5 head-to-heads and won the most recent visit away 3-0, so they've absolutely owned this fixture. A home win at any odds will be my main bet, but the Over 2.5 goals market at 1.53 looks like a good alternative choice, as it aligns with Oakleigh's strong attacking play and South's good scoring record on the road (7-1-2, 2.00 goals per game, 1.00 conceded per game).
