Valletta, Marsaxlokk in clash of unbeaten sides

Qormi vs Floriana (today at 3 p.m., Tedesco Stadium).

Qormi and Floriana have their sights set on victory after both figured in goalless stalemates against Sliema and Vittoriosa respectively in their last outings.

Stephen Azzopardi, the Qormi coach, was due to assess the conditions of three first-choice players yesterday as captain Joseph Farrugia (foot), Jonathan Bondin (groin) and Stefan Giglio (adductor) are rated as doubtful.

Luke Sciberras will definitely miss out as he is still recovering from injury.

Floriana’s hopes of making amends for their disappointing draw against Vittoriosa suffered a blow on Thursday when Ivan Woods pulled up towards the end of training with a muscle problem.

Bulgarian midfielder Kiril Dzhorov is still sidelined with an ankle injury while Joseph Borg, Owen Bugeja and Clyde Borg are doubtful.

Tarxien vs Sliema (tomorrow at 2 p.m., Hibs Stadium).

Back-to-back defeats have increased the pressure on Tarxien to return to winning ways in order to improve their lowly position in the standings. Their task looks anything but easy as they will face Sliema who are also eager to get back in winning groove after their draw with Qormi.

Tarxien coach Noel Coleiro is concerned about the fitness of Everton and Daniel Mariano Bueno. Everton left the field in the first half of Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Valletta after sustaining a calf injury while Bueno is hampered by a back problem.

Mark Marlow, the Sliema Wanderers coach, is short in flank defenders as Alex Muscat, Clayton Failla and Steve Bezzina are all on the injury list. Veteran midfielder Noel Turner is suffering from a calf injury but, on the plus side, Beppe Muscat returns from suspension.

Vittoriosa vs Hibs (tomorrow at 4 p.m., Hibs Stadium).

Hibs find themselves under mounting pressure to bring to an end to a negative run of results that yielded just two points from four matches.

Last Sunday, Hibs almost completed an extraordinary comeback as they scored three goals in the second half after Ħamrun had raced to a 4-0 lead inside the opening 47 minutes.

No doubt, Hibs coach Mark Miller will have focused on his side’s defensive failings in the past five days as he looks to steer his team back to winning form.

Hibs duo Adrian Pulis and Zoran Levnaic are suspended.

Vittoriosa are on a high after gaining their first point of the season. Right-back Pierre Aquilina is still hindered by a knee injury.

Coach Winston Muscat is expected to name Edison in his squad as the Brazilian defender is nearing full fitness.

Valletta vs Marsaxlokk (Monday at 7.30 p.m., Tedesco Stadium).

Valletta and Marsaxlokk, the two unbeaten sides in the top flight, hit five goals in their last games as they recorded identical 5-2 wins over Tarxien and Birkirkara respectively.

Sitting top of the standings with 11 points from five games, Valletta will open a five-point gap over Marsaxlokk if they win on Monday whereas a victory for the Blues would lift them above the Citizens.

Marsaxlokk’s strong start to the season hasn’t surprised Valletta coach Jesmond Zerafa.

“We knew they would do so well,” Zerafa said.

“Marsaxlokk may have played in Division One last season but in my eyes they remained a Premier League team because they retained their best players.

“I had no doubts about Marsaxlokk’s ability to challenge for the top positions but I also have faith in my squad. We’ve found our rhythm in the last few games and I was pleased that we took our chances against Tarxien.”

Captain Gilbert Agius and Omonigo Temile are in line for a recall after recovering from injuries but defender Kenneth Scicluna is still out.

Marsaxlokk coach Patrick Curmi is upbeat over midfielder Gareth Sciberras’s chances of recouping his fitness in time to face the Citizens.

Defender Emil Yantchev has yet to complete his rehab from the injury that kept him out of the last two games.

“We are preparing for this match the same as we do for the other games,” Curmi said.

“There is no pressure on my team. We are conscious of the potential and strength of Valletta whose target is to win the league.

“Our top priority is to make the Championship Pool and every point gained would boost our chances. We’re expecting a tough test but the result can go either way.”