Three games, three slots left and three kick-offs within three hours of each other. This Super Saturday should prove to be an exciting occasion for football in Oceania as the OFC Champions League National Playoffs conclude.
Five teams have already qualified for the OFC Champions League finals stage and the trio of hopefuls joining them from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will become clear by Saturday night.
Here is all the information you need to know.
Vanuatu – Galaxy FC v RueRue FC
Galaxy FC host RueRue FC in the second-leg of Vanuatu’s OCL National Playoffs on Saturday, with the action getting under way from 2.00pm local time (3pm NZT) at the Korman Stadium in Port Vila.
The game is finely poised at 0-0 after a hard-fought first-leg. Galaxy will feel they had the better of that game and will be disappointed not to come into Super Saturday with an advantage.
However, it was RueRue who so nearly claimed the win last weekend, only for Galaxy goalkeeper Joshua Willie to deny them a late winner with a spectacular reaction save.
One team will need to find their scoring touch if they are to advance to the OCL main stage.
LIVESTREAM | OCL 2022 NATIONAL PLAYOFF | GALAXY FC v RUERUE FC
Solomon Islands – Central Coast FC v Solomon Warriors FC
One hour after the action kicks off in Vanuatu, the fixture to decide the Solomon Islands representative in Oceania’s flagship continental competition begins at 3.00pm local time (4.00pm NZT).
Again, this game is set up for an exciting conclusion after the two sides drew the first-leg 1-1.
In what was an exciting game between two well-matched sides, Vanuatu international John Alick produced a piece of magic to open the scoring for Solomon Warriors, a long-range curling effort with the outside of his boot sending the fans in Honiara into celebration. Alick’s masterpiece did not however prove decisive, after substitute Junior Fordney balanced the scoring for Central Coast.
Fans at Lawson Tama Stadium should be in for a treat.
LIVESTREAM | OCL 2022 NATIONAL PLAYOFF | CENTRAL COAST FC v SOLOMON WARRIORS FC
Papua New Guinea – Lae City FC v Hekari United FC
The final spot at the OCL finals will belong to one of either Lae City FC or Hekari United FC, who face off in a winner-takes-all game at the PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby from 3.00pm local time (5pm NZT).
Lae City can call upon the PNG national team’s main defensive trio of Alwin and Felix Komolong at the heart of defence and experienced Kapuls stopper Ronald Warisan behind them in goal.
However, Hekari United, coached by PNG legend David Muta, have the threat of PNG’s breakout star from the OFC World Cup Qualifiers in Qatar, Ati Kepo, which should keep that defensive unit busy.
With plenty of the nation’s best players in action for both teams, this promises to be another tight affair.
LIVESTREAM | OCL 2022 NATIONAL PLAYOFF | LAE CITY FC v HEKARI UNITED FC
The winner will join Super Saturday’s other victors from Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, as well as the already qualified quintet of Tahiti’s AS Vénus, New Zealand’s Auckland City FC, New Caledonia’s Hienghène Sport, Cook Islands’ Nikao Sokattak FC and Fiji’s Rewa FC in the OCL finals stage later this year.
