- Souths United have scored at least two goals in four of their last five FQPL2 matches.
- Virginia United average 1.0 goal per game in FQPL2, with their forwards spreading the goals across the front three.
- Souths United beat Virginia United 3 - 1 in the only FQPL2 meeting between the sides this season.
Souths United should keep the promotion chase in their sights
Souths United should maintain their promotion challenge with a win over newly-promoted Virginia United on Saturday, even if they have to play through a storm.
Souths are in the top third of the FQPL2 table on about 22 points and the goal stats tell us their approach has been to score plenty and let the other teams chase the ball.
Their 4 - 3 shootout win over Samford Rangers and a 5 - 0 thrashing of Taringa Rovers, so it's little wonder they haven't kept many clean sheets.
Their 0 - 4 loss to Grange Thistle was a rare game when the system didn't hold up, but when the structure is right, Souths can dominate the midfield and create overloads centrally with the full backs providing the width.
Mustafa Jafari is the spearhead of their attack and has been a good acquisition while Oscar Burns-Bytheway and Danilo Kovacevic have been key in the middle of the park, driving play forward and creating chances in high-scoring games.
Virginia will try to keep it close and hit on the break
Virginia United are in the lower mid-table on around 13 points and their goal difference is minus, so they don't look like ending up much higher by the end of the season.
Their form has been streaky, taking a 3 - 1 away win at Southside Eagles, but also suffering home defeats to SWQ Thunder (0 - 3) and Grange Thistle (2 - 0).
Lane has been integrating youth well, but also setting up the team to be organised at the back, especially on their travels where they have been much more solid.
Virginia are likely to come with a deep block to soak up pressure and hit on the counter. Their forwards and wingers have done a good job of spreading the goal burden when Virginia have been on the front foot and they've been dangerous on the away, although they are not prolific overall.
The clash of Souths United's controlled, possession-based approach and Virginia's pragmatic, counter-attacking approach should make this a text book dominate-and-break clash.
FQPL2 promotion hopefuls can outgun Virginia
The bookies don't think it will be close with Souths as short as 1.94 to win the match and Virginia as long as 3.03 to claim the spoils. The draw is 4.1.
Souths are the form team and can draw on their win over Virginia as a psychological advantage, but we feel the visitors should be a bit shorter in the match result markets.
But Souths should win this game against a side that doesn't score a lot of goals. The Over 2.5 goals option is 1.29 and BTTS is 1.31, so the bookies expect an open affair with plenty of goal-mouth action.
A victory for Souths would keep them firmly in the FQPL2 promotion race while victory for Virginia would boost their ambitions of mid-table respectability in the second tier.