Talbot praises Marsaxlokk players

Marsaxlokk vs Sliema (today at 4 p.m., National Stadium).
Champions Marsaxlokk can go top of the Premier League this weekend if they maintain their recent revival with a victory over Sliema.

With leaders Valletta having the weekend off, Marsaxlokk will open a two-point gap on the Citizens but theirs promises to be anything but a simple task, what with Sliema also hellbent on winning to join their impending opponents in second place.

Brian Talbot, the Marsaxlokk coach, praised his players for their resilience in bouncing back from a string of bad results, including heavy defeats to Valletta and Hamrun.

"When you lose eight squad players in one hit and your president leaves, there is bound to be turmoil at the club," Talbot said.

"However, everyone pulled together. We've had our fair share of disappointments and people were writing us off but with three games to go before the end of the first phase, we're in a healthy position. We have already qualified for the Championship Pool and that means that we've already achieved our target."

Talbot was hopeful that the six Marsaxlokk players who were in the Malta squad for the International Tournament will be fit to play.

William Camenzuli has resumed training after a long lay-off and will earn a place in the squad today.

Although Talbot still regards Valletta and Sliema as favourites to win the title, he is cautiously confident that Marsaxlokk will also play a starring role in the race for top spot.

"Everybody can beat anybody in the league this year," Talbot commented.

"Floriana, Birkirkara, Hibs and Hamrun started the season better than us but we've have made it to the Championship Pool before them.

"I expect our game against Sliema to be close. In the first round, we lost 1-0 but we missed a penalty and had several chances to score.

"We've got good players at Marsaxlokk, we now also have good foreigners and we're going to try the best we can to beat Sliema."

If Talbot considers Sliema among the front-runners for the title, Stephen Azzopardi, the Wanderers coach, repaid the compliment as he declared that Marsaxlokk's first XI are better than Valletta's.

"This match is as difficult as that against Valletta," Azzopardi said.

"It's another test for us and personally, I think that Marsaxlokk's first XI are better than Valletta's but the latter have a stronger squad.

"As far as we're concerned, our 2-2 draw with Valletta kept us in the chase for the title and we will be looking to sustain our challenge."

Sliema suffered a setback in the lead-up to this match after new Brazilian signing Carlos Ventura tore his ankle ligaments in training and is expected to be out for six weeks.

Ventura joined Sliema last month, taking the place of Aleksandar Madzar who has moved to Marsaxlokk. The Montenegro forward will face his former team-mates today.

Andre Rocha Da Silva has returned from Brazil but has a slight groin injury while Etienne Barbara picked up a foot injury while on international duty. Chucks Nwoko has yet to recover from a foot operation.

First round - Sliema W. vs Marsaxlokk 1-0.

Floriana vs Msida SJ (tomorrow at 1.30 p.m., Tedesco Stadium).
Floriana will go all out to clinch three points and seal their place in the Championship Pool but Msida St Joseph's positive results in their last few outings suggest that the Greens will not have an easy time.

Danilo Doncic, who has stayed on as Floriana coach despite rumours that he had offered to quit after a disagreement with the club committee, must make do without English winger Yala Bolasie, suspended.

January signing Sunday Eboh is struggling with a hamstring injury but otherwise, Doncic has a full squad at his disposal.

Andrew Spiteri is suspended for Msida St Joseph but coach Patrick Curmi has no other selection problems. Curmi will take heart from his team's improved form as Msida followed up their 2-1 win over Hamrun with a goalless draw against Birkirkara.

First round - Floriana vs Msida St Joseph 2-0.

Pietà Hotspurs vs Mqabba (tomorrow at 3.30 p.m., Tedesco Stadium).

Pietà Hotspurs and Mqabba, the lowest-placed teams in the Premier League standings, will have high hopes of making an overdue return to winning ways.

Whereas Mqabba have won only once in 16 games, Pietà have lost their last seven matches and slipped to second-from-last in the league.

Carmel Busuttil, the Pietà coach, is hampered by the absence of experienced defender Pierre Aquilina who has a knee injury. Youngster Glanville Goodlip has resumed training after studies forced him to take a short break from football.

Mqabba will be trying to erase the memories of their 6-1 mauling by Pietà in the first round.

Claudio Calleja, formerly of Pietà, and Brazilian defender Italo Nogueira are poised for a return after suspension kept them out of Mqabba's 2-0 defeat to Marsaxlokk.

First round - Pietà vs Mqabba 6-1.