Three-pronged assault on Euro berths keeps interest alive

The title and relegation issues may be done and dusted but three teams head into the final round of Premier League matches this week with plenty to play for. Up to a few weeks ago, the race to fill the two 'elite' spots behind the top station was in danger of becoming a procession as Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk enjoyed a comfortable lead over Sliema Wanderers.

Birkirkara and Marsaxlokk were initially embroiled in a neck-and-neck fight to finish second but Sliema have clawed their way back into contention thanks to a late resurgence which has yielded four consecutive wins.

Seemingly down in the dumps after failing to offer a serious challenge for the Premier League title and the FA Trophy despite investing heavily in new players during the two transfer windows, Sliema picked themselves off the floor to embark on a damage-limitation exercise.

Taking maximum points from their last four outings, Sliema go into their final clash with Old-Firm rivals Floriana on Thursday as co-inhabitants of third place in the standings, level with Birkirkara on 31 points. Sliema's transformation from no-hopers to contenders for European qualification has also been abetted by a few wobbles for Birkirkara, not least Thursday's 1-1 draw against Floriana, as well as by Marsaxlokk's stop-start form in the Championship Pool.

Marsaxlokk are second but only one point separates them from Sliema and Birkirkara. The tight situation in the upper part of the table points to a compelling finale as all three contenders for positions no.2 and 3 face a make-or-break scenario ahead of their final matches of the league season.

In theory, all three can still finish second but, on the other hand, all three are still in danger of missing out on a top-three finish. The permutations are manifold but on paper, Birkirkara and Sliema appear to have what it takes to overcome Ħamrun and Floriana respectively. In that event, Birkirkara and Sliema will end the season with 34 points, two ahead of Marsaxlokk before the latter's concluding match against champions Valletta on Saturday.

For Marsaxlokk to claim the runners-up spot, they would have to beat Valletta, assuming that Sliema and Birkirkara both win. If this scenario emerges, then Sliema and Birkirkara would have to face off in a decider for third place. If Marsaxlokk lose and Birkirkara and Sliema win, then the latter two will contest another decider for the runner-up spot. We could also have a situation whereby all three challengers finish with a tally of 32 points i.e. if Marsaxlokk lose to Valletta and their rivals draw their final matches, in which case second place would be awarded to the team with the best record in head-to-head clashes.

The situation is a tad complicated, moreso when bearing in mind that the outcome of this season's FA Trophy competition may well offer a backdoor route for Europe to the team finishing fourth in the league, given that Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans, two of the four semi-finalists, have not been issued with a UEFA licence.

Whatever the outcome of this mind-boggling race for European qualification, the three hopefuls know that their chances will be hugely undermined if they stumble in their final matches. Today, all eyes will be on Birkirkara who will be seeking to bounce back from the disappointment of conceding a stoppage-time equaliser against Floriana with victory over Ħamrun.

"I've said many times that nothing is to be taken for granted in football," Birkirkara coach John Buttigieg said, referring to his team's unexpected loss of two points in their clash with Floriana. "Our performance against Floriana was poor but I hope we will play much better against Ħamrun.

"We needed to gain six points from our last two matches to make sure of finishing second but that is no longer the case after our draw with Floriana. Our chances of claiming the runners-up spot no long depend on us but all we can do now is to win our game and wait for the results of the other matches. The situation is very complicated and I'd rather not contemplate the various scenarios that may arise after this final round of matches."

Buttigieg has lost Thomas Paris to suspension for this evening's clash but left-back Joseph Zerafa is back in contention for a first-team place after serving his one-match ban. Goalkeeper Omar Borg will not be rushed back into action as he continues his recovery from an operation to fix a fractured cheekbone. Ħamrun will be without Nigerian Alfred Effiong who has been banned for one match.

A win for Birkirkara today would strengthen the prospect of a decider with Sliema but in the unlikely event that both the latter and Marsaxlokk lose, they will finish second.

"I wish that both Sliema and Marsaxlokk lose in their last league matches but frankly, I'm only interested in our match," Buttigieg said.

Sliema have not beaten Floriana this season but they will be hellbent on gaining their first win against their Old Firm rivals on Thursday to keep their pride-salvaging mission alive.

"Our objective for the final few weeks of the season has been to win every game and gain as many points as possible," Sliema coach Stephen Azzopardi said.

"With regards to our bid to finish second, this is not in our hands as Marsaxlokk currently occupy that position in the standings. Third place in the league would not guarantee us a place in Europe (Sliema did not apply to take part in the Intertoto Cup). At the moment, we're only thinking about our match against Floriana and I'm sure the players will be doing their best to win."

Sliema's winning run of late has led many to wonder why the same team had struggled for consistency for much of the preceding eight months.

Said Azzopardi: "This team needed time to reach the desired standard of performance. It took Valletta, the new champions, the same period of time to gel as they started in June but needed five months to get up and running.

"I came into this job in November and the transition restricted our progress at a very important stage of the league campaign. Three weeks after my appointment as Sliema coach, I told club president Robert Arrigo that we faced an uphill task to win the league because of certain weaknesses in the whole first-team set-up."

Azzopardi relishes a positive ending to an otherwise disappointing season by leading Sliema to a place in the UEFA Cup. The Sliema coach is expected to have a full squad at his disposal for Thursday's clash with Floriana as right-back Alex Muscat is back in the frame after seeing out his one-match ban.

Floriana defenders Sunday Eboh and Julian Briffa will have to skip Thursday's match after receiving a one-match ban.

Although Sliema are nine points adrift of champions Valletta, Azzopardi is adamant that the top four teams in the table are on an even keel.

"I think the leading four teams are very close to each other," Azzopardi said.

"All teams have taken points off one another but Valletta deserve to be on top because they have been the most consistent team."

The other matches

The 2007-08 Premier League's final round kicks off this evening at 6 with the Relegation Pool match between Hibs and bottom team Mqabba. Nigerian Ndubisi Chukunyere cannot turn out for Hibs today after being hit with a two-match ban for his red card in the 2-1 defeat of Pietà Hotspurs.

Thursday's opening fixture, also at 6, is between Msida St Joseph and Pietà.

Results so far: Hibs vs Mqabba 2-0, 1-0, 4-2. Birkirkara vs Ħamrun Spartans 2-2, 5-0, 4-0. Msida vs Pietà H. 1-0, 7-0, 3-1; Sliema vs Floriana 2-2, 0-1, 0-2.