South Melbourne FC faces a demanding three-week stretch across domestic and Oceania competitions, with coach Sinisa Cohadzic setting his sights firmly on qualification for the OFC Pro League playoffs.
From Holy Saturday afternoon, South Melbourne FC enters a crucial period, with seven matches scheduled over just 19 days across both the NPL Victoria and the OFC Pro League.
The “blue-and-whites” will play three domestic fixtures in NPL Victoria, alongside four matches in the Oceania competition, placing significant physical and tactical demands on the squad.
Speaking to The Greek Herald, Cohadzic acknowledged the intensity of the schedule, which will see the team compete both in Fiji and Melbourne.
“We, the coaching staff and the players, have to manage a critical and heavy schedule over the next three weeks, both in Fiji and Melbourne,” he said.
The Serbian-Australian coach made it clear that the team’s immediate focus lies on securing a place in the OFC Pro League playoffs.
“Our primary objective is qualification for the OFC Pro League playoffs, and to achieve that we need three points from the next four matches in Fiji,” Cohadzic said.
“My players understand the importance of these matches and are ready to overcome every challenge to achieve our goal – to qualify for the playoffs and, in May in New Zealand, compete for the Oceania championship.”
The upcoming fixtures form part of Matchday 5 of the competition, with South Melbourne FC set to face Auckland FC in a key clash.
Matchday 5 – Round 1 Schedule
Saturday, 11 April
- Vanuatu United FC vs South Island United — 1:00pm, HFC Bank Stadium
- Tahiti United vs Solomon Kings FC — 5:00pm, HFC Bank Stadium
Sunday, 12 April
- South Melbourne Hellas vs Auckland FC — 1:00pm, 4R Electrical Govind Park
- Bula FC vs PNG Hekari FC — 5:00pm, 4R Electrical Govind Park
Standings (after 11 matches)
- Auckland FC — 23 pts (10 matches)
- South Melbourne Hellas — 19 pts (10 matches)
- Bula FC — 15 pts
- Solomon Kings FC — 15 pts
- Vanuatu United FC — 13 pts
- South Island United — 13 pts (10 matches)
- Tahiti United — 10 pts (10 matches)
- PNG Hekari FC — 5 pts
Cohadzic concluded by wishing supporters of South Melbourne Hellas a Happy Easter and good health.
