Second stern test for City

Valletta have made a perfect start to their title defence but their record will be subjected to another acid test today as they take on Birkirkara at the National Stadium (kick-off 17.00).

With six wins from their first six games, the Whites are living up to their status as the team to beat in the league but Birkirkara’s solid start has added weight to pre-season whispers that they could produce a strong challenge this season.

The Stripes have five wins from six games, the 3-1 slip-up to Sliema Wanderers the only blot on their copybook.

Paul Zammit’s team bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Tarxien Rainbows last weekend while Valletta overcame their toughest hurdle thus far as they edged out Hibs.

Roderick Briffa, the Valletta captain who came through the youth ranks of Birkirkara, is preparing himself for a tough match.

“Birkirkara have a competitive team after some good signings,” Briffa said.

“Every year, they challenge for the honours and this season is no different. People always expect Birkirkara to be involved in the fight for the championship.

“The game should be interesting. They want to win but so do we. Birkirkara-Valletta is considered as one of the most attractive fixtures in Maltese football.”

With midfielder Ryan Fenech ruled out by an adductor injury, Valletta coach Mark Miller must make at least one change from the Hibs game.

Brazilian defender Ricardo looks to have recovered from injury but Ian Azzopardi is doubtful.

The 1-0 win over Hibs not only maintained Valletta’s flawless start, it also strengthened their confidence ahead of their clash with Birkirkara.

“The morale is inevitably high after we won our direct confrontation with Hibs,” Briffa remarked.

“They wanted to beat us but we had the final word. There’s also rivalry with Birkirkara but the truth is that every team thinks of Valletta as their main rivals because we’ve been on top for the last two years and they all want to beat us.”

Birkirkara captain Gareth Sciberras is cautiously confident that they can hold their own against Valletta.

“Valletta are the only unbeaten team in the league so far,” Sciberras said.

“This is our biggest test, although we’ve already had other tough matches in our previous six outings.

“I believe we’re strong enough to compete against Valletta. Our squad is better and more determined than last season. Last year, it took us a while to get going but this time, we’ve had a better start.”

Sciberras agrees with his coach, Paul Zammit, that today’s first-round meeting with Valletta is shaping up as a yardstick for Birkirkara.

“The championship is long and because of the format of our league, the business end of the season starts with the Championsip Pool,” Sciberras contended.

“This match is an important gauge for us. We must rise to the occasion.”

While acknowledging that Valletta have a more experienced squad, Sciberras believes that there’s not much between the two teams.

“On paper, Valletta have more depth and they do have a strong attack but we also have a very good forward line,” Sciberras said.

“We’ve already scored a good amount of goals most of which created by the movement of our forwards. I think the match will hinge on which team performs better as a collective unit and adopts the better tactical strategy.”

Midfielder Ryan Scicluna is still recovering from a minor foot operation but otherwise Birkirkara can rely on a full squad.

Other matches

Sliema Wanderers vs Hibs (today 15.00, National Stadium).

Hibs will be out to get back to winning ways after their upset to Valletta but they look to have a tough task on their hands as they will be up against a Sliema team coming from two consecutive wins.

Hibs are buoyed by the return from suspension of goalkeeper Mario Muscat and forward Marcelo Dias but Jonathan Pearson and Jean Paul Farrugia are sidelined with injuries.

Luigi Ruggiero is in line to start for Sliema after the Italian forward capped his debut with a well-taken brace after coming on as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 win over Rabat.

Balzan vs Melita (tomorrow 15.00, National Stadium).

This is a direct clash between two teams languishing in the bottom half of the table.

Balzan broke their duck last week with a 2-1 win over Qormi but Melita are still looking for their first three-pointer.

Balzan’s first victory came at a cost, however, as goalkeeper Matthew Camilleri suffered a serious knee injury in the latter stages of the game. Also missing for Balzan is forward Malcolm Licari who will serve the second of a three-match ban.

Melita coach Martin Gregory knows that his team can’t afford to lose further ground as the Amateurs have only gained one point in six games.

Gregory has a full squad at his disposal.

Tarxien vs Mosta (tomorrow 17.00, National Stadium).

In-form Mosta will be optimistic about their chances of extending their win streak to five games but Tarxien will be determined to make amends for their 4-1 defeat to Birkirkara.

Firas Aboulezz’s one-match ban means that Mosta coach Steve D’Amato must make one change from the team that started the 3-1 win over Floriana. Winger Daniel Bogdanovic is out with a fractured foot but Alex Cini is back for the Blues after recovering from injury.

Tarxien coach Clive Mizzi must make do without defender Evaldo who has been handed a two-match ban after his dismissal against Birkirkara.

Brazilian midfielder Luiz Romulo De Castro is injured.