2020 NRL – Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers taking place? Friday 12th June, 2020 – 10:55 (UK)
Where is Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers taking place? Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
What is the expected weather for Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers? 13c, partly cloudy
What channel is Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers on? Sky Sports Arena will be televising selected NRL games in the UK and you can find their schedule here. For Australian broadcasters, you can find a list here
Where can I stream Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers? If televised on Sky Sports, then subscribers will be able to stream the match live via Sky Go. Alternatively, the match will be available to subscribers of Watch NRL
Where can I get tickets for Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers? Click here for ticket information on 2020 NRL matches
THE TEAM NEWS
PARRAMATTA EELS
Starting 13: Gutherson, Sivo, M. Jennings, Blake, Ferguson, D. Brown, Moses, Campbell-Gillard, Mahoney, Paulo, Lane, Matterson, N. Brown – Interchanges: Stone, Niukore, Evans, Terepo – Reserves: Takairangi, Kaufusi
Unavailable:
- Parramatta Eels remained the only side in the NRL with a 100% through four rounds of the competition as they claimed a narrow win over Manly Sea Eagles last week but they were fortunate to hang on to that victory as a last-gasp Manly try was contentiously ruled out for a forward pass.
- The Eels dominated the early stages and their ability to force repeat sets saw them build what looked to be a solid lead until their opponents fought back to almost snatch the two competition points with what would have been the final play of the game.
- The three dropouts that the Eels forced last week made it 12 for the season in what has been an impressive start to the campaign and they will be boosted by the return of lock Nathan Brown following a two-game ban while Ray Stone comes onto the bench with Brad Takairangi and Oregon Kaufusi making way.
PENRITH PANTHERS
Starting 13: Aekins, Mansour, Whare, Crichton, To’o, Luai, Cleary, Tamou, Koroisau, Fisher-Harris, Kikau, Capewell, Yeo – Interchanges: Burton, Tetevano, Leota, Martin – Reserves: Kenny, Burns
Unavailable:
- Penrith Panthers put in a more assured performance on both sides of the ball as they were able to nil New Zealand Warriors last week and remain one of just three teams with an unbeaten record so far in 2020.
- The Panthers have had little trouble making metres in this campaign and made 2,223 last week to bump their total to 8,201 through four matches, the highest in the NRL by some margin with the next biggest total being achieved by their opponents in this match with 7,829.
- Despite earning the comfortable victory last week, the Panthers have made a change with Nathan Cleary making an immediate return to the halves after serving a suspension with his inclusion seeing Matt Burton revert to the bench and Mitch Kenny drops out of the 17.
THE PREDICTION
Two unbeaten teams do battle as early pacesetters Parramatta Eels host Penrith Panthers. The Eels are four from four after overcoming Manly Sea Eagles last week while the Panthers will be confident after keeping New Zealand Warriors scoreless. Both teams will believe they are capable of victory in what is set to be a battle of the metre-eaters but despite Penrith being one of just two teams to beat Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium in their 13 matches there to date, the Eels look the more well-rounded outfit and their home advantage is likely to prove crucial in this one.
