The BOV National League is still in its infancy but the second day of the championship promises to capture the attention of local waterpolo enthusiasts as it features the first clash between Neptunes Emirates and Sliema Frank Salt Real Estate, scheduled for tomorrow at the National Pool.

These two title hopefuls head into their first competitive meeting on the back of contrasting results in their opening games.

While Neptunes launched their title defence bid with a straight-forward 11-6 win over Exiles Ferretti, Sliema went down 11-10 to San Ġiljan Sir Alex in a thrilling match on Saturday.

Sliema will surely be looking to atone for their opening setback with a win over their arch-rivals but they need to be at their absolute best to topple this strong Neptunes side who beat the Blues 9-5 in the President’s Cup earlier this month.

Gergely Kiss was Sliema’s driving force in the game against the Saints but the Hungarian’s three-goal haul was not enough to lead his team to victory.

Sergio Afric, the Sliema coach, will surely demand a bolder effort from the Maltese players tomorrow as they seek to underline their title credentials with victory over the defending champions who effectively sealed their win against Exiles in the opening two sessions after surging into a 9-1 lead.

Sirens Ritter Sport will make their summer debut this evening when they take on San Ġiljan whose astonishing win over Sliema will have bolstered their optimism of a sustained challenge for the title.

Led by Italian coach Marco Risso, Sirens, who have Hungarians Csaba Kiss and Arpad Babay in their ranks, will be aiming to start their league campaign on a high note but their task will be anything but easy against this well-oiled San Ġiljan side.

Karl Izzo, who is also the national coach, must have been pleased with his side’s discipline and fighting spirit in Saturday’s win as the Saints kept in touch with their opponents in the opening two sessions before showing their best in the final two.

Hungarian powerhouse Peter Biros turned in an influential performance on his San Ġiljan debut, scoring three goals.

Programme

Today: 18.00 Ta’ Xbiex vs Otters; 19.15 San Ġiljan vs Sirens.

Tomorrow: 18.00 Valletta vs Marsa-scala; 19.15 Neptunes vs Sliema.

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