Pressure on Stripes, Reds to hit back

Birkirkara vs Ħamrun Spartans (today at 2 p.m., National Stadium).

A victory is a must for Birkirkara and Ħamrun to put their Championship Pool bid back on track.

The champions missed a chance to effectively seal their top-six place when following up the 3-1 loss to Valletta with a 2-0 upset to Marsaxlokk while Ħamrun’s 4-2 reverse to Hibs was their second defeat in succession.

Birkirkara coach Paul Zammit is hoping to receive the go-ahead to field new signings Andrei Agius and Brazilian forward Rodolfo ‘Alemao’ Kumbrevicius as, at the time of writing, their international transfer certificates had not been received.

Angus Buhagiar and Paul Fenech are back in the reckoning for Birkirkara after serving a one-match ban but Trevor Cilia and Simon Zahra are still out.

The Stripes are engaged in talks with Scottish defender Ryan Harding, currently sidelined for medical reasons, over the termination of his contract while midfielder Alan Tabone yesterday joined Vittoriosa Stars on loan until the end of the season.

Ħamrun’s elimination from the FA Trophy has piled the pressure on coach Steve D’Amato to halt the team’s slump.

Injuries are not helping D’Amato’s cause as defenders Roderick Fenech and Martin Hrubsa along with forward Dene Shields are out of the equation. Midfielder Ryan Fenech is suspended.

This week, the Spartans parted with midfielder Jonathan Holland, whose time at the club has been beset by injuries. A Czech striker was expected to start a trial yesterday.

First round – Birkirkara vs Ħamrun 1-1.

Hibs vs Vittoriosa Stars (tomorrow at 2 p.m., Hibs Stadium).

A repeat of their first-round victory over Hibs would boost Vittoriosa’s survival hopes while the Paolites are determined to stay on the winning track after ending their drought with a 4-2 defeat of Ħamrun.

Vittoriosa’s 3-0 cup defeat of Marsaxlokk softened the disappointment of their 6-1 rout to Floriana last weekend.

Coach Winston Muscat is buoyed by the return from suspension of Jeffrey Chetcuti, Steve Wellman and Edison plus the availability of new signing Alan Tabone.

Carlos Campagnoli, Pierre Aquilina and Mauro Brincat are still injured.

Mark Miller, the Hibs coach, is unlikely to have any newcomers in his squad tomorrow as the club are still awaiting the international transfer certificate of Ghana-born midfielder Patrick Osei.

English defender Matt Clarke is doubtful with a sore knee and Tristan Caruana is still recovering from injury.

First round – Hibs vs Vittoriosa 0-2.

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

Floriana are fancied to extend their winning streak but Qormi will be no pushovers as they chase a win to stay in the hunt for a top-six berth.

Christian Cassar (knee) and Kirill Dzhorov (foot) miss out for Floriana. Coach Todor Raykov will check on Ivan Woods’s condition today as the forward sat out the 1-0 FA Trophy win over Mosta with a muscle strain.

Qormi’s starting formation is unlikely to differ much from Saturday’s goalless draw with Sliema. Stephen Azzopardi, the Qormi coach, is concerned about the fitness of Stefan Giglio.

Joseph Farrugia and Roderick Sammut are still sidelined.

A Greek defender has started a trial with Qormi.

First round – Floriana vs Qormi 1-0.

Sliema Wanderers vs Tarxien Rainbows (Monday at 7.30 p.m., Tedesco Stadium).

FA Trophy quarter-finalists Tarxien hope to bounce back from their league defeat to Valletta when they meet Sliema who also need a win to keep their Championship Pool hopes alive.

Mark Marlow, the Sliema coach, can’t bank on winger John Mintoff who is expected to be out for another three weeks after injuring his knee collateral ligaments. Alex Muscat is in the final stages of his rehab from a cruciate operation.

Luke Vella Critien is suspended for Tarxien but otherwise coach Noel Coleiro has no selection worries. Striker Daniel Mariano Bueno picked up a knock in midweek but he’s expected to recover.

First round – Tarxien vs Sliema 2-1.