The other matches

Msida St Joseph vs Sliema Wanderers (today at 1.30 p.m., Hibs Ground)

Requiring a point to secure a berth in the Championship Pool, Msida St Joseph will be striving to seal their mission today when they take on Sliema Wanderers.

Failure to take any points from their clash with the Blues, themselves in need of a point to confirm their presence in the top six, would leave the Saints facing a nerve-jangling showdown with Marsaxlokk, provided the latter beat Birkirkara tomorrow.

The situation is pretty tight in the middle of the league standings as Sliema have 22 points, one above Msida who lead Marsaxlokk, the only other team still in with a chance of making the top six, by five points.

Defender Stacey Vella returns from suspension for Msida but Pedro Dos Santos Calcado, aka Pedrinho, is unavailable. The Brazilian has been at the centre of an on-and-off transfer saga for much of the last two months.

Initially, Pedrinho was supposed to join a club in Spain, then he was linked with a move to China but the latest reports suggest that the Brazilian is currently in talks with a club in the United Arab Emirates.

Marcos Aurelio has resumed training after undergoing a cartilage operation and Msida coach Joe Abdilla hopes the Brazilian striker will be ready to make his comeback in the match against Marsaxlokk.

Like Msida, Sliema are desperate for a positive result today to halt a negative run of three successive league defeats.

Sliema coach Stephen Azzopardi is buoyed by the return from suspension of midfielder Mark Scerri. Italo-Australian midfielder Daniel Saverino is also expected to be available to play against Msida as he returned to Malta on Friday following a trial with a Chinese club.

Alex Muscat, Sliema's best player in the 3-2 upset to Birkirkara, appears to have shaken off the knock that ended his participation in the latter stages of last Monday's high-scoring match.

Victor Ortega Coto is in line for a recall to the Sliema squad after being dropped for the Birkirkara game for disciplinary reasons.

First round result - Sliema vs Msida SJ 2-1.

Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk (tomorrow at 7.30 p.m., National Stadium)

With their confidence high after a 3-2 victory over Sliema Wanderers, Birkirkara will fancy their chances of extending their winning sequence when they take on Marsaxlokk tomorrow night. The latter are also in a buoyant mood after following up their 3-2 victory over Ħamrun Spartans in the Trophy with a 2-1 win over Tarxien Rainbows in their last league outing.

John Buttigieg, the Birkirkara coach, is not expected to make significant alterations to the team that started last Monday's encounter against Sliema Wanderers. Jonathan Holland is back in the reckoning for a first-team place at Birkirkara after serving a one-match suspension.

Marsaxlokk coach Patrick Curmi has no injury problems to worry about but midfielder Kevin Sammut, one of his key players, can't face the Stripes after being banned for one match by the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner in midweek.

Claude Mattocks is out of the picture for the rest of the season after being slapped with an eight-month ban for a doping offence.

First round result - Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk 1-1.