A combustible rivalry will be re-ignited this evening when Valletta cross swords with Hamrun Spartans in their first meeting of the 2007-08 season (kick-off 5 p.m.).

This being also the first encounter between these adversaries for more than 20 months, the Spartans having regained their top-flight status last May after one season in Division One, expectations are indeed high of an enthralling contest.

In addition to their sporting enmity, Valletta and Hamrun will also be adamant to improve their positions in the table and reinforce their chances of attaining their pre-set objectives.

Talking of targets, Valletta have thus far failed to vindicate their tag as title contenders but they can still turn their fortunes around.

A victory over Hamrun could provide the psychological boost Valletta need to hit their stride but the Spartans have solid grounds for optimism ahead of today's showdown.

Promoted teams generally struggle to adapt to the elevated demands of football at a higher level but the Spartans have not encountered such problems so far as their fifth placing, with 10 points from six matches, amply shows.

Valletta are currently seventh, two points adrift of their impending opponents after gaining only two wins from their opening six matches.

The Citizens' early travails have inevitably turned the heat on coach Paul Zammit and his players who are acutely aware that only a victory against Hamrun will dissipate the growing unease among their fans.

Zammit is under no illusion as to the difficulty of today's match.

"This is another important match for us but we have prepared for it as best as we can," Zammit told The Times. "The stakes are higher than usual because Valletta-Hamrun has retained its standing as one of the top fixtures in the local football calendar.

"Hamrun have already shown this season that they can hold their own against any team in the Premier and playing against them is never easy.

"From our side, we certainly need to roll up our sleeves and be ready to give everything we have."

In their outings before the international break, Valletta and Hamrun enjoyed contrasting fortunes. While the Citizens were on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat to Sliema Wanderers, the Spartans held out for a 2-2 draw with Birkirkara.

Losing to Sliema in a match marked by a series of controversial refereeing decisions, was a let-down for the Citizens but their spirited display and the exciting debut of Nigerian youngster Frank Temile have filled Zammit with renewed confidence.

"We may have been on the losing side against Sliema but that game contained a lot of positives for us," Zammit said. "Aside from the fact that all the decisive breaks in the game went against us, there were many good things about our performance.

"That game is now behind us but I feel that my players will be up for the challenge when they face Hamrun."

Zammit cannot pick his best formation today as captain Gilbert Agius is still recuperating from a torn thigh muscle and midfielder David Camilleri is out after twisting his knee in the 2-1 loss to Sliema.

The City coach is also concerned that Dyson Falzon and Ian Zammit may not be at the top of their physical condition today after their exertions for Malta's U-21 team in their 3-1 defeat to Wales in midweek. Stefan Giglio is in line to be recalled to the Valletta squad after recovering from a hamstring problem while fellow midfielder Claude Mattocks is back in the frame after suspension kept him out of the match against Sliema.

Hamrun Spartans coach Marco Gerada must make one change to his four-strong defence after Serbian defender Bratislav Timotic received a one-match ban for his red card in the draw against Birkirkara.

A point gleaned at the expense of a strong side like Birkirkara ought to have boosted Hamrun's spirits but Gerada had mixed feelings about the result.

"If someone had asked me before the game if I would be happy with a draw, I would have said 'yes' but the way the match developed, I believe we could have won with a little more attention," Gerada commented.

"After going ahead early in the first half, we then conceded two cheap goals in the space of five minutes. However, the team did well to equalise and preserve the stalemate despite playing with 10 men for the last 25 minutes."

Today's encounter will give Gerada his first taste of a competitive encounter between Hamrun and Valletta - the two teams met in a pre-season friendly which the Spartans won 2-1 - but he has already noticed that there is a greater sense of anticipation among the fans and players for this fixture.

"From what I've seen, I think there will be a great atmosphere at the stadium as the Hamrun fans are expected to turn up in large numbers," Gerada said.

Asked how the players are coping with the pressure a game of this magnitude creates, Gerada replied: "The young players who are experiencing Premier League football for the first time are relaxed, but the three to four players who have been in the team for some years have looked more tense."

Gerada revealed that Hamrun have set themselves a 15-point target from their first nine matches in their bid to stay in contention for a place in the Championship Pool.

"Our aim is to finish the first round with 15 points and though we're still on course, we know it will be difficult to reach that target because our next three games are against Valletta, Floriana and Hibs," Gerada said.

"If we manage to collect 15 points, we will be in a good position to make the top six but anything less than 13 points would make our task more difficult."