FFA Cup Brisbane Zone RD4 Preview Pt2
The remaining seven ties of RD4 will be played out and decided this week as we look to see who will be in the hat for Thursday's RD5 draw.
There were some upsets last week, most notably Centenary's demolition of Holland Park Hawks and The Lakes knocking out their higher division opponents AC Carina to be the only Viva Capital League 3 side left in the cup. Pensinula Power also showed their dominance by dumping out NPL side Redlands Utd. The results from RD4 so far are: Lions FC 5-0 Caboolture AC Carina 0-2 The Lakes Annerley 0-4 Mitchelton Peninsula Power 3-0 Redlands Utd Centenary Stormers 7-1 Holland Park Hawks Ipswich Knights 0-3 Souths Utd Eastern Suburbs 9-0 North Star Ipswich City 2-1 New Farm Utd Olympic FC 7-1 St George Willawong Here's a quick look at each of the ties coming up this week. Tue 10 Apr, 7.15pm KO: Wolves FC (FQPL) v UQFC (FCBPL) @ Carmichael Park. Had this tie been played a few weeks ago you'd have to considered UQ as favourites to go through, but Wolves have had back to back wins in the FQPL and will head into this game full of confidence. A narrow 1-0 win over Southside Eagles was perhaps relative to their level but an impressive 3-0 win over Eastern Suburbs was the result that surprised most people. UQ should still be an opponent to be wary of though. They've lost just twice this season and both defeats came against the top two in the Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League in Grange Thistle and Albany Creek. As far as the FFA Cup is concerned, just one Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League side has made it into the RD5 draw and with two further sides facing stiff opposition, UQ could be the only other representative in the next round. Prediction: It's hard to look past Wolves at home and with their tails up following their recent two successes but the Students should give them a test. Wolves to win 3-2. Tue 10 Apr, 7.30pm KO: Albany Creek (FCBPL) v Brisbane Strikers (NPL) @ Wolter Park. Can Albany Creek stay in the FFA Cup and be one of only a couple of Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League sides to remain in the hunt for a Round of 32 spot? You would have to think not with the 2017 NPL champions their opponents at Wolter Park on Tuesday evening. After a shaky start, Strikers have won their last five NPL fixtures on the bounce, including a come from behind win over Brisbane City last time out and displaying that David Large's side have resilience. Creek are undefeated in the Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League so far this season, boasting a 100% record in league and cup, which is some achievement given the squad coach Steve Glockner inherited at the start of the season, so despite their opponents credentials, Creek will enter this one with the thought they can cause an upset. It's a second home cup tie for Creek and they will hope they can gather some support from both Creek fans and sister club Moreton Bay to help cheer them on. Prediction: Difficult to imagine an upset here unless Creek get off to a good start. Strikers to win 4-1. Tue 10 Apr, 7.45pm KO: Virginia Utd (FCBPL) v Logan Lightning (FQPL) @ Albert Bishop Park. Another Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League side in action as Virginia Utd face FQPL side Logan Lightning. Virginia's first season in the Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League is proving to be a tough one with just one win to date against a struggling Gap outfit. United did enjoy a healthy 5-2 win over North Pine in the last round and they'd be hoping their cup form can continue against what is expected to be a difficult Logan Lightning side. Four straight victories in the FQPL has seen them move to third on the ladder and Royce Brownlie's side will be brimming with confidence as they look to go that one step further this season in the FFA Cup. Last year, they took eventual Round of 32 finalists Peninsula Power all the way to a nail biting penalty shootout where they just missed out. If they defeat Virginia, and they should based on the form book, a favourable draw could see them feature close to a Round of 32 berth again. Prediction: A tough night at the office for Virginia with Lightning to romp home with a 5-0 win. Tue 10 Apr, 7.45pm KO: Capalaba (FQPL) v Brisbane City (NPL) @ John Fredericks Park. Can this be the year Brisbane City actually make a showing in the FFA Cup? Up until now their record in this competition has been less than impressive, having only once made it past their initial round involvement and just one showing in Round 6 since the inception of the competition in 2014. Capalaba will be have some confidence they can keep City's poor cup record going having shown they're a force to be reckoned with in the FQPL. City capitulated last weekend in the NPL when 2-0 up at half time at Brisbane Strikers, only to concede four unanswered goals, plus two of their three wins so far have been against lower placed sides. This one has the potential to go down to the wire and it would be of surprise if it went to extra time and penalties. Prediction: Capalaba to upset their NPL opponents with a 3-2 extra time win. Tue 10 Apr, 8.30pm KO: Rochedale Rovers (FQPL) v Samford Rangers (VCL2) @ Underwood Park. Last year's Flight Centre Premier League champions Rochedale have been unable to reproduce their 2017 form thus far in the FQPL, with a string of indifferent results. They sit in fifth on the ladder but have been blowing hot and cold in 2018 so the visit of Samford Rangers, be it three tiers below them, can not be taken for granted. Rovers had a heart breaking RD6 loss to Grange Thistle last year in the cup and will be looking to get a good cup run going and perhaps reach the Round of 32 for the first time in the club's history. Samford will be no easy beats. Their form hasn't been helped by the a handful of postponements which has seen them only play half of their games so far this season. Last round they saw off newcomers Brisbane Athletic in a narrow victory. A later than normal 8.30pm cup kick off will be a help for Rangers traveling across town and prepare beforehand but they will need to show some of the tenacity that has seen them prosper in the past if they're to make it through to RD5. Prediction: If Rovers fail to fire on all cylinders, this could be a potential banana skin for them but based on recent form and league status we have to expect Rovers will feature in RD5. Rovers 3-1. Wed 11 Apr, 7.00pm KO: Mt Gravatt (FCBPL) v Western Pride (NPL) @ Dittmer Park. Despite being crowned NPL Grand Final winners last season, Pride's record in the FFA Cup is the worst in Queensland for any NPL side, failing to register a single FFA Cup success in four previous attempts at this stage. This year however, they have a great opportunity to finally shake off their FFA Cup hoodoo when they visit struggling Flight Centre Brisbane Premier League side Mt Gravatt on Wednesday evening. Pride are flying high in the NPL this season with just one loss to their name, coming against league leaders Olympic FC and the Mounties could well be in for a torrid time unless they can somehow subdue the NPL's leading goal scorer Dylan Wenzel-Halls, who has netted 19 goals in just 8 league games. The only thing that could cause Pride issues is the kick off time of 7pm, something of a stretch for those travelling from Ipswich to Brisbane's south side and having enough time to prepare, but even with that potential obstacle, many will be expecting a stroll in the park for the Brigg's Road outfit. Prediction: Pride to romp home comfortably with an 8-0 demolition. Wed 11 Apr, 7.00pm KO: Southside Eagles (FQPL) v Moreton Bay Utd (NPL) @ Memorial Park. Last season's Round of 32 finalists Moreton Bay Utd will kickstart their 2018 FFA Cup campaign away to FQPL's Southside Eagles. Eagles are currently situated one place above the foot of the FQPL ladder and will need to show some major improvement if they're to get any kind of result from this tie. One advantage they do have is playing this tie at their traditional home at Memorial Park, a ground far more familiar to them than Perry Park where all of their FQPL home games have been played this season. The Jets haven't found the form that saw them finish in the top four last season with much of that squad having moved on, but for new coach Pouria Nabi, this will be a game he'll expect to win. One thing is for certain, expect a physical encounter with Eagles likely to give their NPL opponents little quarter. Prediction: Jets ought to account for Eagles and be the final team through to RD5. Moreton Bay to win 4-1.
