Marsaxlokk out to seal top-six berth

Marsaxlokk will seal their place in the Championship Pool if they beat bottom side Vittoriosa Stars at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, this evening.

Last week, the southerners took a giant step towards reaching their pre-set objective this season when they came from a goal down to beat fellow top-six rivals Ħamrun Spartans 3-2.

That result propelled Marsaxlokk to fifth place in the standings on 22 points, five ahead of seventh-placed Qormi with two matches to go for the end of the second round.

Victory today means Marsaxlokk are mathematically through but they should be wary of the fact that they still have to beat the Stars after two matches this season.

In fact, the corresponding first-round fixture ended in a 1-1 draw and last month Vittoriosa dumped Patrick Curmi’s team out of the FA Trophy following a 3-0 win in the competition’s second round.

So, don’t blame Curmi for urging his players to be cautious and show the same levels of concentration that saw them remain unbeaten in their last four league matches.

“We are within touching distance from a berth in the Championship Pool,” he said.

“We have to seal our place by beating Vittoriosa to avoid exerting extra pressure on ourselves in the last day of matches.

“The team has shown great character in the last few weeks and our comeback win over Ħamrun was clear evidence of our battling qualities. Vittoriosa are the bottom club but we can never underestimate any of our opponents. This season, they have caused us great problems and it’s strange that they are in that position.

“We know, this won’t be an easy match. So, I’m urging my team to play confidently as always but be wary of our opponents’ threat.”

Curmi’s job will be more difficult than usual, however. Marsaxlokk will be without two key midfielders this evening as Trevor Templeman and Peter Pullicino are both ruled out with a one-match ban.

Vittoriosa know they will continue the rest of the season in the Relegation Pool but a positive result today could see them leapfrogging Hibernians and bridging the gap with the other strugglers at the wrong end of the standings.

So far, the team only managed 10 points from 16 matches but extra dividends from their remaining two matches could mean they start the second phase of the season in a better placing.

“Retaining our status in the Premier League remains our prime target this season and to achieve that we need to pick as many points as possible from our next two matches,” Winston Muscat, the Stars coach, said.

“On paper, Marsaxlokk might appear the better team.

“However, despite our position we’ve succeeded in producing some encouraging performances against most of the other teams, including Marsaxlokk, and that should be an added incentive for my players to fight harder for the three points.

“No doubt, it will be hard for us to win this match but by now we’ve got used to playing difficult matches. However, the players have to believe more in themselves and give their all as they’ve done so far.”

Muscat is set to name his formation from an almost full squad as Carlos Campagnoli is the only absentee today. The Argentine midfielder is still recovering from a knee injury.

First round result – Marsaxlokk vs Vittoriosa Stars 1-1.

Programme
Today: (Tedesco Stadium) 7.30 p.m. Vittoriosa vs Marsaxlokk.
Tomorrow: (National Stadium) 2 p.m. Birkirkara vs Qormi; 4 p.m. Valletta vs Ħamrun.
Sunday: (Hibs Stadium) 2 p.m. Floriana vs Sliema; 4 p.m. Hibernians vs Tarxien Rainbows.