Gully sits on the brink of the top five while South is in sixth with a game in hand.

The Cavaliers have won one home game in seven attempts and will need to keep an eye on Fernando De Moraes, who scored a brace against them earlier this season and tops the league's goal scoring charts.

The battle in midfield will be pivotal in deciding who wins this game with the likes of Gully's Jeffrey Fleming, Andy Vargas and Graham Hockless up against Daniel Vasilevski, De Moraes and Carl Recchia.

ALTONA Magic will have the chance to close the gap between itself and one of the top five when it visits Northcote City.

The weekend off could not have come at a worse time for the reigning champion after it had begun an impressive run of form.

City went down 1-0 to Richmond in a catch up game after coming off a surprise 3-2 win over South Melbourne.

Magic has opened up its scoring options during the last couple of weeks and it could lead to an open game, although they will need to be watchful of City captain Trent Rixon up front.

HEIDELBERG United will continue its search to remove itself from the bottom of the league table when it hosts leader Richmond on Sunday.

United has improved on the pitch but was unable to take three points from Hume City last time out, even though it probably should have.

Meanwhile, Richmond moved to the top of the table with its win over Northcote last week.

Its attacking play continues to cause teams trouble with goals coming from different avenues in Daniel Visevic, Jesse Krncevic and Milos Lujic.

HUME City will travel to the Melbourne Knights looking to break a four-game winless run.

Title contenders earlier this season, Hume has struggled for consistency on the pitch and was lucky to get away with a point against Heidelberg.

Andy Vlahos should return from a hamstring injury after the side had the week off, adding a greater penetration in the attacking third.

The Knights are coming off a much-needed win and this game shapes as another important one.

They are without striker Jean-Charles Dubois after he received another suspension last start.

OAKLEIGH will make the difficult road trip to the improving Dandenong Thunder.

The Cannons will want top spot on the league ladder back after relinquishing it last week.

They travel to an improving Thunder side that is three wins and three losses at home this season.

It could be a tight affair as most Dandenong games have been this season.

BENTLEIGH Greens will look to return to the winner's list when it hosts Sunshine George Cross on Friday night.

The Greens have not won in their previous five outings after a solid start to the season and it has resulted in a slip to seventh on the league ladder.

The Georgies have been a club under intense pressure after coach Andy O'Dell's departure and a goal of avoiding relegation has been set.

This could be a glorious chance for a much-needed win to avoid a greater slip towards the drop zone.