There is no shortage of soccer action pencilled in this weekend, with the Goulburn Valley Suns and all of the local Central Victorian League sides in action.
With both the NPL and CVL seasons drawing closer to a conclusion, time is running out for sides to make an impact on the table.
For the GV Suns, this weekend brings a Saturday afternoon away trip to Langwarrin.
The Suns, who suffered another disappointing loss last week, will face the eighth-placed side in what is sure to be an exciting encounter.
Suns coach Lee Blackburn said he was expecting a battle against a solid Langwarrin outfit, with the club’s eyes now shifting to surviving relegation.
“Obviously everything’s preparing towards the play-off game,” Blackburn said.
“It’s just about getting the boys ready to stick to a game plan, understand their roles and try and build a bit of confidence and belief back in the squad.
“There isn’t anyone there that isn’t ready to fight, there isn’t anyone there hiding, they’re all working hard and they’re going to do everything they can to stay in NPL Two.”
The Suns will be without captain Matt Lelliott on the weekend, with the leader suffering a season-ending injury.
Saturday afternoon’s encounter with Langwarrin will kick off at 3pm at the Lawton Park Reserve.
In the Central Victorian League One Men’s competition Shepparton South’s Saturday night blockbuster headlines another big weekend of action.
South welcomes Eaglehawk to McEwen Reserve on Saturday night, with the first-against-third clash set to be a classic.
On Sunday, Tatura will welcome Golden City to Howley Oval, with the Ibises looking to produce another big win to catch up to South.
Meanwhile Shepparton United faces an away trip to Spring Gully, with United aiming to bounce back from a disappointing Shepparton derby loss last week.
Both Tatura and United’s Sunday games kick off at 3pm, while South’s Saturday night showdown begins at 6pm.
In the League Two Men’s competition the Shepparton Jaguars will face the challenge of an away trip to Swan Hill.
Swan Hill has beaten every team in its path so far this season and the Jaguars will need to be at their best to down the ladder-leaders.
Meanwhile in the League One Women’s competition, Shepparton United will travel to Strathdale.
United picked up an impressive win over the ladder-leading Strathfieldsaye Colts last week and will be aiming to repeat the result against the fifth-placed side.
Elsewhere, Tatura’s League Two Women’s side will play host to Castlemaine Goldfields.
The game is a must-win if the Ibises are to finish on top of the league table.
Coach Damien Rosella said the side was feeling good after last week’s result.
“The girls are feeling pretty confident at the moment but at the same time we’ve got to stick to our game plan and play some good soccer,” Rosella said.
“I think we’ve got another three games to go and every game must be a win for us if we want to finish on top.
“No game is going to be easy from here on in so we’ve got to be at our best.”
The Ibises will have about five players missing for the clash with forward Chelsea Salmon and defender Asya Ciftci two key players out for the clash.
Yet despite the missing players Rosella was confident the depth in the squad would cover the losses.
Tatura’s game against Castlemaine Goldfields will kick off 11am on Sunday at Howley Oval.