Another derby as wounded Spartans face upbeat Qormi

Another weekend, another derby.

Eight days after neighbouring foes Valletta and Floriana shared the spoils in a goalless stalemate, one of the ‘modern’ rivalries of Maltese football will be on show tomorrow as Ħamrun Spartans square up to Qormi at the National Stadium (kick-off 2 p.m.).

Both teams entertain high hopes of winning their direct clash not only to give their fans an early Christmas present but, more importantly, to strengthen their Championship Pool chances.

So tight is the race for top-six berths at present that Ħamrun Spartans, one of three teams on 13 points, are only two ahead of Qormi.

A 1-0 victory over Marsaxlokk will have lifted Qormi’s morale but not so can be said of Ħamrun Spartans who crashed to a 2-0 defeat to runaway leaders Valletta in midweek.

Steve D’Amato, the Ħamrun Spartans coach, admitted that his team can’t afford to lose the derby.

“There is more pressure on us to gain something from our game against Qormi,” Azzopardi told The Times.

“Apart from it being a derby, a win for Qormi would push them above us in the standings but if we take the three points, we would get back into a strong position.

“This is the moment of truth for us and we have to do everything possible to regain our form.”

D’Amato has something of a defensive crisis as his two regular centre-halves, Czech Martin Hrubsa and Roderick Fenech, are both ruled out by suspension.

Scottish forward Dene Shields is still receiving treatment for a knee injury and veteran midfielder Rupert Mangion is unlikely to start due to a neck problem.

Although D’Amato is an optimist by nature, he conceded that the absence of four important players has complicated the Spartans’ task.

“We have four players missing and that makes our job harder because it’s not easy to replace your key men,” D’Amato said.

The Spartans were short of inspiration in their defeat to Valletta but D’Amato preferred to focus on the positives.

“The players were very disappointed not to have gained anything from the game,” D’Amato reflected.

“We failed to score against Valletta but overall I think our performance was positive. The players showed commitment but Valletta punished our mistakes.”

After overhauling their squad in the summer, Qormi knew that this season would be a constant uphill struggle but they are still in contention to qualify for the Championship Pool.

With nine league games under their belt, Qormi should start the second round in a more positive frame of mind.

“The aim is to gain something from every game we play,” Qormi coach Stephen Azzopardi said.

“Our foremost objective is to make the Championship Pool and the way things stand, every team looks to have a good chance. At Qormi, we’re also working to build something, namely to mould the new players and youngsters into a strong team that would guarantee a bright future for Qormi FC.”

Azzopardi has some injury concerns as Croatian striker Kosta Bjedov is out with a fractured wrist and Luke Sciberras is still plagued by a long-standing knee problem.

Abubakar Bello Osagie is doubtful with a hamstring injury while Joseph Farrugia and Matthew Bartolo spent most of the week training on their own after picking up knocks against Marsaxlokk.

Surely, Qormi will be striving to banish the memories of their 3-1 defeat to the Spartans in the corresponding first round match but Azzopardi played down suggestions that the fans’ expectations may exert more pressure on his players.

“For the supporters, this is a big match, the derby, but because the Qormi pitch is still under construction, we’ve been training away from the home ground and away from where the supporters usually gather,” Azzopardi said.

“Not training in our usual environment prevented the players from feeling the enthusiasm and expectations of the fans but we all know that this match is very important for the entire Qormi clan.”

Asked if he regarded Ħamrun as strong contenders for the Championship Pool, Azzopardi: “Since I started to coach in the Premier, I don’t think I’ve been involved in a season like this where all the teams are so close to each other.

“Apart from Valletta, the other nine teams are more or less on a par.

“The Premier League table reflects the reality as the increase in the number of foreign players has raised the level, especially for those teams who were a bit short in terms of quality Maltese players.”

First round – Ħamrun vs Qormi 3-1.