The quest for cup glory resumes in earnest this afternoon when eight teams will be bidding to reach the semi-finals of this season’s U*Bet FA Trophy.
Of the 12 Premier League teams, only five are still in contention as the open-to-all format of the FA Trophy paved the way for a string of upsets this season.
There will certainly be one First Division side in the last four as St Andrew’s meet Lija Athletic in one of the quarter-finals while giant-killers Żebbuġ Rangers, the Division Two leaders, will be looking to produce another shock as they take on Hibernians, the holders, in today’s opening game at Corra-dino.
The other two quarter-final matches feature all-Premier League clashes as Valletta face Rabat Ajax and Qormi square up to Balzan at the National Stadium.
On paper, the most enticing tie should be that between Qormi and Balzan as both teams are determined to make progress in this competition and make up for the upset of missing out on a place in this season’s Championship Pool.
The two teams are very balanced with Qormi sitting one place above Balzan in the standings. However, the latter have a perfect record against Qormi this season after winning both league encounters 2-1.
Qormi will fancy their chances of progressing to the semi-finals after knocking out Birkirkara in the previous round but coach Jesmond Zerafa has urged caution.
“All games are difficult,” Zerafa told The Sunday Times.
“Balzan are formidable opponents. We will give our all to advance, also knowing that the winner could be drawn against a Division One team in the semi-finals.”
Zerafa admitted that Qormi are keen to atone for their failure to make the Championship Pool by emulating their run to the FA Trophy final last season.
“After finishing in the Relegation Pool, our target is to do well in the FA Trophy,” Zerafa added.
“This competition is very important for the club and if we reach the semi-finals, we will have a chance.”
Zerafa is anticipating a closely-fought cup tie against Balzan.
“It should be a tense game because for Balzan, like us, the FA Trophy is their only hope of silverware this season, so their objective is to keep progressing.
“Balzan are stronger than last year because they’ve signed many valid players this season. For me, they are one of the best teams in the Relegation Pool.”
Qormi, who came from behind to beat Melita 2-1 in their last league outing, have no selection worries for this game.
For their part, Balzan will be heartened by the return from injury of a host of key players, namely Brazilian talisman Pedrinho, captain Renie Forace and Ivory Coast striker Elie Moises.
Yessous Camilleri is available as he must serve his one-match ban (no medical test) in the league. Midfielder Dylan Grima is suspended, however.
Balzan president George Borg is bracing himself for a tight game.
“It’s going to be tough because the two teams are on a par,” he said.
“I believe that the team that scores first would gain a big advantage during the match. Apart from it being a quarter-final, there’s the added incentive that the winner could be paired with a team from Division One in the next round.”
Borg is confident that his team will benefit from the return of key players like Pedrinho.
“Knowing that we have recovered our key players for this game strengthens my optimism,” Borg said.
“I mean a player like Pedrinho is crucial for us while Elie Moises also left an excellent impression in his first game against Valletta.
“We could have used these players for the league game against Sliema but the coach decided not to take risks as we wanted them to be fit and ready for this quarter-final.”
In the fourth round, Balzan beat Division One side Gżira United 3-2 after extra-time.
The other ties
Valletta, who were eliminated by Qormi in the semi-finals of last season’s FA Trophy, face Rabat Ajax in the other quarter-final involving two Premier League teams.
The Citizens are everyone’s favourites to book their place in the semis but the Magpies come into this match on a high after breaking their duck in the Premier League following a 3-2 win over Mosta.
The champions have also had a tranquil build-up to the game after their 3-0 win over rivals Floriana on Wednesday.
Valletta coach Mark Miller was due to check on the condition of Jason Vandelannoite yesterday after the Belgian came off in the second half of the derby with a pulled hamstring.
Goalkeeper Yenz Cini may make the squad after recovering from flu but Daniel Bogdanovic and Steve Borg are still injured.
Silvio Vella, the Rabat Ajax coach, will be without Justin Felice who suffered an injury in the first half of Monday’s game but midfielder Joseph Caruana is available for selection after missing the Mosta win.
Yan Cauchi is doubtful while Malcolm Licari is expected to resume training next week as he continues to recover from a groin strain.
Like Valletta, Hibs are expected to make it through to the semi-finals but they are unlikely to underestimate Żebbuġ after the latter ousted Sliema Wanderers in the third round.
Michael Woods, the Hiber-nians coach, is buoyed by the return of Clayton Failla and Zoran Levnaic, who missed the derby against Tarxien Rainbows due to suspension, but Brazilian defender Rodolfo Soares is still injured.
Marcelo Dias is ranked doubtful but Woods is hopeful that the South American striker will recover.
Żebbuġ are well on course to win promotion to Division One as they are nine points clear at the top of the current league standings.
St Andrew’s and Lija Athletic will have high hopes of moving into the semi-finals of the FA Trophy when they meet in the second quarter-final at the Hibs Stadium this afternoon.
When these two teams met in a Division One match last week-end, St Andrew’s ham-mered Lija 8-3 after the latter were reduced to 10 men.
Lija will be hellbent on making amends for that drubbing while the Saints’ morale is surely sky-high thanks to that emphatic victory which kept them in contention for promotion to the Premier League.
Today’s QFs
Hibs Stadium
Hibs vs Żebbuġ - 14.00
St Andrew’s vs Lija. - 16.00
National Stadium
Rabat Ajax vs Valletta - 14.00
Balzan vs Qormi - 16.00