Having injected life into the Premier League championship following their thrilling victory over Neptunes Emirates last weekend, San Ġiljan Sir Alex have the chance to pile further pressure on the champions today.

With the two neighbouring rivals tied on 24 points at the top, the Saints are widely expected to open a three-point gap this evening as they meet strugglers Sirens Ritter Sport.

San Ġiljan will certainly be looking to end a hectic but potentially defining week in the title race with a third consecutive win after showing admirable resilience in their close victories over Neptunes and Sliema Frank Salt Real Estate.

With Neptunes facing a tricky match against ‘old enemy’ Sliema tomorrow, San Ġiljan, who appear to have been rejuvenated by the arrival of experienced coach Sergio Afric, know that a win over Sirens coupled with any loss of points by the Reds would signi-ficantly improve their chances of ending their long wait for the championship.

Backed by their enthusiastic supporters, San Ġiljan again showed great determination and willpower on Wednesday as they edged Sliema 12-11 in a nailbiting encounter with Karl Galea emerging as Afric’s trump card with a four-goal haul.

For their part, Neptunes bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to the Saints, their first in the league this season, with a routine 21-7 win over Exiles Ferretti on Tuesday but they face a sterner test tomorrow against Sliema.

The Blues may be out of the title race but they are still capable of offering a stern challenge in matches against the leading duo as they showed in their narrow defeat to San Ġiljan in midweek.

The prospect of putting a dent in Neptunes’ title bid will surely serve as added motivation for Sliema tomorrow.

On the other side of the coin, Neptunes will be eyeing a rousing performance against the Blues to demonstrate that their upset to San Ġiljan has not shaken their confidence.

In Division One, Valletta will seal the title if they take maximum points from their clash against second-placed Marsascala Mor€.

A win for the City team would give them an unassailable nine-point lead at the top with only two games remaining.

Programme

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

Tomorrow: 16.45 ASA Under-17 vs Marsaxlokk; 18.00 Valletta United vs Marsascala. 19.15 Neptunes vs Sliema.

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