Teams battle for the final three places in the Hahn Australia Cup quarter-finals as the Round of 16 comes to a close with three games on Wednesday evening.
All three games are local derbies in Sydney and Melbourne, lending to plenty of excitement and the quality football we've come to expect from this year's Hahn Australia Cup.
Read our preview of the action below.
APIA Leichhardt v Sydney United 58
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets
It’s a New South Wales derby to get us started as APIA Leichhardt host Sydney United.
APIA reached this stage by defeating Queensland side Peninsula Power 2-1 in the Round of 32. They are coming into this game off the back of a scoreless draw with St George but have been in outstanding NPL form, top of the table with a four-point margin and looking to extend their fantastic season with a cup run.
The team hot in their tail in the NPL is also the side they are meeting on Wednesday. Sydney United has forged a strong season on the back of the best defence in the NPL NSW and will prove difficult to break down in the Cup.
United defeated A-League Men’s side Central Coast Mariners in a penalty shootout in the Round of 32, their third ever ‘Cupset’ after the two that saw them reach the final of this competition back in 2022.
APIA got the better of the two sides when they met in the league in May, with Jack Stewart and Oscar Gonzalez scoring the goals in a 2-1 win. However, it really is anyone’s game on Wednesday.
Presley Ortiz will once again be a key man for APIA, having scored 17 goals in the NPL NSW this season, while Michael Krslovic – the man who scored the equalising penalty against the Mariners, that led to one of the longest shootouts in Cup history – will once again be central for Sydney United.
The winner will take on Melbourne Victory in the quarter-finals.
Brunswick Juventus v Preston Lions
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: CB Smith Reserve
Broadcast: 10.com.au, YouTube
Tickets
Keeping with the theme of local derbies, we head next to Melbourne’s north as Brunswick Juventus take on Preston Lions at CB Smith Reserve.
Juventus play in the VPL1 competition, the second tier of Victorian state football. They reached this stage after defeating Cairns’ Marlin Coast Rangers 4-0 in the Round of 32.
They are a club with plenty of history in Victoria and the opportunity to take on another huge Victorian club in Preston is one that they will come prepared for, particularly on the back of strong form in the league over the past month or so. A win would equal their run to their Cup quarter-final in 2019.
Preston, meanwhile, are coming into this game on the back of a history making Dockerty Cup win and will be to keep their maiden Hahn Australia Cup national stage campaign going with a win here.
They are undefeated in 12 games across all competitions and will hope that their sturdy defence can deliver another clean sheet in the Round of 16.
Regardless of the result, it will be another all-Melbourne fixture next up, with South Melbourne awaiting the winner in the quarter-finals.
North Sunshine Eagles v Heidelberg United
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEST
Venue: Nasiol Stadium
Broadcast: 10.com.au, YouTube
Tickets
It’s a busy night of Cup action in Melbourne’s north with the second game in the area kicking off between North Sunshine Eagles and Heidelberg United.
The Eagles are struggling in the league, sitting in 13th in the VPL1 table this season, but that hasn’t stopped them in Cup competitions. They defeated South Australia’s FK Beograd 3-2 away from home in dramatic circumstances to reach this stage and will hope to keep their maiden Hahn Australia Cup campaign going against the Bergers.
Heidelberg, though, will come into the game as favourites. Despite struggling in the league as of late – most recently, losing to Avondale - there is plenty of pedigree in last season’s finalists. If we know anything about this team, it is that they can step up on the big stage, and they will be hoping to do so on Wednesday.
The winner of this tie will take on NPL Queensland side Lions FC in the next round.
