The previous round provided a shock in the form of Wellington Phoenix falling to Bentleigh Greens and, with just six A-League sides remaining, the fifth edition of the national knockout competition is beginning to heat up. 

APIA Leichardt Tigers v Melbourne Victory

APIA again find themselves in the Round of 16 for the FFA Cup coming up against A-League champions Melbourne Victory. Muscat's men will be without newly acquired marquee Keisuke Honda and German defender Georg Niedermeier with neither player on the plane to Sydney. Victory will not be without their strengths, however, with the likes Kostas Barbarouses and Carl Valeri likely to feature as they did in the Round of 32.

    Honda to miss FFA Cup clash    

While all eyes will be on Melbourne, the Tigers shouldn’t be counted out after looking impressive in the preliminary rounds of the Cup. Last season’s Victorian NPL champions finished second this season and will be looking for top goal scorer - and new Central Coast Mariners signing - Jordan Murray to motivate a shock win over the reigning A-League champions. Melbourne will be hoping their 1-0 win over Perth last round will be the catalyst for a cup run equalling their 2015 triumph.

    Mariners add young talent    

Match details: Tuesday, Leichhardt Oval, kick-off 7.30pm (AEST)

Cairns FC v Sydney FC

The draw of the cup always sets up interesting match ups and this one is no different. One of the most successful A-League sides in recent history travel far up north to Barlow Park in what should be an intriguing fixture. Previously known as Far North Queensland Heat, Cairns FC are finally into the last 16 after falling at the round of 32 in the previous four seasons. The Queensland outfit has had a somewhat disappointing 2018 Queensland NPL campaign finishing 8th, however, striker Joshua Taylor has notched an impressive 20 goals, and scored in their 4-0 round of 32 FFA Cup demolition of Armadale.

    Sydney go Le Fondre    

Meanwhile the reigning Cup holders will be looking to defend their crown and prove that there is life after Graham Arnold. The Sky Blues had a somewhat mixed performance against Rockdale City Suns last round before managing a 4-2 win but will be confident their 2000km trip north will see them progress to the quarter-finals. While newly signed striker Adam le Fondre will be available for Sydney, he is unlikely to feature and instead the boys from Moore Park will be looking again to veteran Alex Brosque to provide the goals.

Match details: Tuesday, Barlow Park, kick-off 7.30pm (AEST)

Avondale FC v Devonport City Strikers

Avondale FC qualified for the national stages of the FFA Cup for the first time after enjoying a prolific run in the Victorian preliminary rounds of the Cup. They continued their impressive form by thrashing Marconi Stallions 4-1, the victory their fifth cup game in a row where they have scored three or more. Look for Liam Boland or Kaine Sheppard to make a goal scoring difference, with the pair scoring 14 and 13 goals respectively so far in this season's NPL Victoria competition.

The Avengers come up against current NPL Tasmania leaders Devonport City FC who are in the Round of 16 for the second time after they fell to Bentleigh Greens in 2016. The Strikers enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win over Northcote City in the Round of 32 however, three consecutive wins by just a one-goal margin in preliminary rounds see Devonport going in as underdogs in this clash. They will be hoping Miles Banard will again be on form for the Strikers after his two goals against Northcote inspired the Tasmanian team last round.

Match details: Tuesday, ABD Stadium, Kick-off 7.30pm (AEST)

Broadmeadow Magic v Bentleigh Greens

Bentleigh Greens are no strangers to FFA Cup success and provided the shock result of the round of 32 by defeating Wellington Phoenix 1-0. They have already found cup success this season winning the Dockerty Cup just last month overcoming fellow FFA Cup quarter-finalists Heidelberg United 2-0 in the final. With their recent achievements in both cup and league competitions, the Melbourne club will be hoping to best their 2014 cup run when they reached the semi-finals. Goalkeeper Ryan Scott’s performance will play a factor with the Greens custodian delivering Cup heroics in the past as well as winning the Jimmy Rooney medal in 2017 Victorian NPL grand final.

Broadmeadow Magic, in the Round of 16 for the first time, are a constant in the competition after only failing to make the round of 32 once, in 2016. Going down a goal against Canberra last round they comfortably fought back to dispatch the ACT side 4-1. The last side representing the Northern New South Wales NPL, Broadmeadow are managed by former Socceroo and A-League champion Ruben Zadkovic who has lead the Newcastle based side to their best finish in the NNSW NPL since 2013. Kale Bradbery has provided the goals for Magic over the past few seasons, scoring 14 in the league this season and grabbing the opener against Canberra.

Match details: Tuesday, Magic Park, kick-off 7.30pm (AEST)