- The Wolves have conceded just 16 goals in 11 home fixtures in the NPL New South Wales 2026.
- Blacktown City have scored 21 goals in 12 away matches in the NPL New South Wales 2026.
Two different styles should make for a tasty clash
Wollongong Wolves FC have had a better season than Blacktown City FC overall, sitting sixth in the NPL New South Wales 2026 with 35 points from 24 matches compared to their guests' 25 points and 13th place.
Luke Wilkshire has led the side since 1 September 2025 and his side are still built around a structure-first approach. They will want to control the middle of the park and look to punish turnovers, but they have won just one, drawn one and lost three of their last five fixtures.
Blacktown have had a bit of a rollercoaster of a season and their away record of three wins, five draws and four losses from 12 trips, is testament to that, but that record also shows they are competitive enough to avoid defeat on Sunday, but will most likely need to grab something to claim the spoils.
Better to take the visitors to avoid defeat
The Wolves have failed to win either of their last two home games against Blacktown City. The head-to-head record is finely poised with Wollongong winning two, Blacktown City winning two and one draw in the last five meetings, but the Wolves won the last game 3-1 away in the NPL New South Wales 2026 three months ago.
The odds for this game are tight with the visitors at 2.3, the home side 2.65 and the draw at 3.45, so there is little to split them. Blacktown are the favourites and come here in much better nick than the hosts, who have dropped their last two including a 3-3 home draw with St George City, a 3-2 away defeat to Sydney Olympic and a 3-2 home loss to SD Raiders.
Blacktown come into this one off the back of a 0-0 draw with Sydney United 58 at home, a 3-1 win at SD Raiders and a 3-0 demolition of St George City at their own place, so they will be confident that they can get something here.
Blacktown have enough to nick this
Crittenden's young side are high-energy and like to press and play on the front foot with a front-heavy shape that looks to push the tempo and attack the flanks. However, there will be chances for the Wolves to play on the counter and this looks set to be a close contest.
But the value is in supporting Blacktown City to at least avoid defeat and nick it, rather than the home team who have conceded 16 goals in 11 home fixtures and have dropped points recently. Over 2.5 goals at 1.65 is also worth a shot as both teams will look to play positively, but BTTS at 1.5 is the best play on the day as both of these teams have been trading goals lately.
