Melbourne Victory will kick off their Australia Cup campaign in the Round of 32 against NNSW NPL club the Lambton Jaffas.
Match Details
Lambton Jaffas v Melbourne Victory
Date: Tuesday 6 August
Time: 7:30 pm (AEST)
Venue: Jack McLaughlan Oval
Broadcast: 10play
Melbourne Victory will kick off their pursuit of a third Australia Cup tonight when they take on Northern New South Wales NPL club the Lambton Jaffas tonight in Newcastle.
The last time out in the Cup was a disappointment for Victory, losing to the Newcastle Jets in a penalty shootout in the play-off round in Darwin.
However, a lot has changed since then, with the team coming off an Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final appearance, automatically qualifying for the Australia Cup knock-out rounds.
On June 25, it was announced that Victory would be travelling to Newcastle to face the Jaffas.
This will be our opponent’s second appearance in the Round of 32, having previously made the national round in 2016.
The Jaffas demonstrated some defensive solidity in their run to the latter stages of the Cup, conceding only three goals across their four matches.
Most notably, they edged past Australia Cup Final Rounds regulars Broadmeadow Magic in Preliminary Round Seven with a dramatic 2-1 victory.
They would go on to lift the NNSW 2024 Men’s State Cup defeating fellow Round of 32 qualifiers Edgeworth Eagles FC 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Former A-Leagues goalkeeper Ben Kennedy and stalwart centre-back Nikolai Topor-Stanley headline their line of defence.
The Jaffas have enjoyed a good season in the NPL Men’s Northern NSW, sitting second on the table.
However, they come into Tuesday’s game with two defeats in their last three matches in the competition as they attempt to chase down Broadmeadow Magic at the top.
Kale Bradbery has provided the bulk of the team’s goals in 2024, with 14 in the league, while Bailey Newton and Matthew Cahill have contributed 11 each.
International viewers can watch tonight’s stream on Football Australia’s YouTube channel.
