Valletta defender Steve Borg has summed up his team’s cautious mindset by describing today’s encounter with fourth-placed Mosta at the Hibs Stadium (6pm) as the toughest game in their title run-in.

After Mosta, Valletta will meet Balzan before a potentially decisive showdown with Birkirkara but Borg sees today’s clash as pivotal to his team’s hopes of staying alive in the title race.

“Personally, I think that this is the most difficult of our remaining games,” Borg told Times of Malta.

“If Birkirkara and we win the next two games, our direct clash on the final day will be crucial and if that were to materialise, we would have nothing to lose as only a win would do for us.

“The game against Mosta is the toughest test before our meeting with Birkirkara.”

Mosta produced a lacklustre display in their 4-0 loss to Birkirkara last weekend but Valletta are not reading much into that result.

They are bracing themselves for another stern challenge from Mosta who looked to have ruined the Citizens’ title dream when holding them to a 2-2 draw in the first round of the Championship Pool before Birkirkara slipped to Hibs.

That partial slip-up ought to strengthen Valletta’s resolve to avoid a repeat today but Borg insisted that Valletta are fired up to win not to dish out revenge but to keep their title bid on track.

“We want to win not to atone for our last result against Mosta but because we know that we can’t drop points,” Borg said.

“We must win at all costs if we want to remain in contention.”

For today’s clash, Borg is likely to revert to centre-back as Jonathan Caruana and Luke Dimech were handed a one-match ban in midweek.

Valletta have blown hot and cold in their last few matches. Their up-and-down showing in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Hibs exposed their struggles to maintain a high level of performance for the whole 90 minutes but Borg prefers to look on the positive side.

“I’m optimistic,” Borg said of Valletta’s title prospects.

“The training is good and we have still managed to pick up the points despite not being at our best in the last few games.

“The atmosphere is very positive. I’m convinced that we will remain in the title race until the final day of the season.”

Apart from the suspended Caruana and Dimech, Gambian winger Aziz Corr Nyang could miss out as he has yet to fully recover from injury.

Mosta’s chances of atoning for their inept display against Birkirkara are inevitably boosted by the return of two key payers, goalkeeper Omar Borg and prolific Montenegrin striker Bojan Kaljevic who were suspended last weekend.

One point clear of Sliema Wanderers, Mosta know that a good result today would improve their chances of clinging on to fourth spot but captain Mano Micallef acknowledged that his team face a tall order to upset the title candidates.

“It’s an important match but let’s not forget that we are playing against one of the two title challengers,” Micallef told Times of Malta.

“If we manage to gain something from this match, it will be a bonus for us because Valletta and Birkirkara are the strongest teams in the Premier League.

“Our aim is to produce a sound performance but in terms of importance, the last two fixtures against Sliema Wanderers and Balzan will be like two finals for us.

“Our primary objective was to secure a place in the Championship Pool and that has been reached but we are now determined to finish fourth as that would give us a chance of qualifying for a European competition.”

If Mosta hold on to fourth spot, their European chances would rest on the outcome of the U*Bet FA Trophy final between Valletta and Sliema Wanderers on April 30.

Given that Mosta can only book a Europa League spot if Valletta fail to win the league but beat Sliema in the cup final, this scenario can only strengthen their motivation to spoil the Citizens’ title bid today.

Although Micallef is not looking too far ahead, he is positive about Mosta’s chances of fending off Sliema’s challenge for fourth place.

“With the unity in our squad, the backing of the committee and the mentality the coach (Enrico Piccioni) has instilled in us over the past three months, I believe that we can do it,” Micallef said.

“The good thing is that everything is in our hands... we don’t depend on the results of others to finish fourth.”

Previous results: Valletta vs Mosta 2-1, 6-0, 2-2.