Friday, 15 August 2008 7:44 PM
In what will be Dean Anastasiadis’ last home appearance for the club, South Melbourne will play host to the Whittlesea Zebras in an important contest on Sunday afternoon.
South will come into the game on the back of a heartbreaking loss against Richmond, conceding two late goals to secure a 0-2 defeat. With both Nathan Caldwell and Gianni De Nittis missing up front, South did not have enough attacking weapons in the front third to trouble the Richmond side.
This should improve significantly this week with De Nittis certain to return from suspension, whilst Nathan Caldwell will face another fitness test on his injured leg.
They will be joined by defender Shane Nunes, who will once again partner Steven O’Dor in the centre of defence after serving his three match ban.
The other key inclusion will be the captain and retiring veteran Dean Anastasiadis, who will be playing his final home game for the South Melbourne Football Club. With “Deano” being a much respected part of the playing squad, all players, staff and fans would like to see the veteran sign off on a fantastic career with one final win in front of his home crowd.
To do this, the Blues must overcome a determined Whittlesea outfit. The Zebras are a side that are on the brink of being relegated from the Foxtel Cup, as they languish in 4th last position on the table. With this threat hanging over their heads and with Coburg sitting two points above them, the Zebras will be throwing everything at South from the outset in an attempt to snare three crucial points.
A win for Whittlesea would also see them get within two points of South, with one round remaining after this weekend.
Kick-off for this huge contest is at 4pm and all fans are urged to get along to Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday to support the team and farewell a legend of the South Melbourne Football Club in Dean Anastasiadis.
South Melbourne FC vs Whittlesea Zebras
When: Sunday, August 17th
Where: Bob Jane Stadium
Kick-off: 4.00pm (Under 21s at 1.45pm)
Projected Starting line-ups
South Melbourne
Dean Anastasiadis (GK/C), Sam Poutakidis, Rama Tavsancioglou, Adam Van Dommele, Steven O’Dor, Shane Nunes, Goran Zoric, Sebastian Petrovich, Gianni De Nittis, Nathan Caldwell, Fernando De Moraes
Whittlesea Zebras
Robert Simeoni (GK), Ross Antoniadis, Steve Martin, Mark Vazzocchi, John Angelovski, Conner Molan, Gregory Lombardo, Goran Talevski, Antun Vulic, Ryan O’Hare, Anthony Colosimo
Head to head (Games since 2005)
Played : 2 (The Whittlesea Zebras were formed in 2007)
South Melbourne : 1
Whittlesea Zebras : 1
Draw : 0
Last Meeting
When: Sunday, 11 May 2008
Where: Epping Stadium
Score: South Melbourne 1 defeated Whittlesea Zebras 0
Form in 2008 (last 3 games)
South Melbourne: Loss, Win, Loss
Whittlesea Zebras: Loss, Win, Draw