Hibernians were virtually impregnable in the first round.
They have won 10 and drawn one of their opening 11 games for an astounding total of 31 points, 10 clear of Birkirkara, their nearest pursuers.
Their scintillating form has seen them installed as outright favourites for the BOV Premier League title but, having set the bar so high, Hibs’ biggest challenge is to maintain their consistency.
The second phase of their three-part title assault starts this afternoon (4pm, Hibs Stadium) with a tricky match against Floriana whose 2-1 win over Birkirkara before the international break has sent ripples across the Premier League.
If Floriana’s enterprising showing against the Stripes was meant as an eye-opener, Hibs coach Branko Nisevic has heeded the warning.
“They played an excellent game against Birkirkara,” Nisevic said of Floriana.
“Floriana seem to raise their performance against the big teams.
“I’m treating them with respect.”
The Hibs coach believes that the battle for midfield control will play a crucial role in today’s game.
“Floriana will get better with more games,” Nisevic said.
“As a team, they are quite stable in defence and up front they have three dangerous forwards in Matteo Piciollo, (Amadou) Samb and the Slovenian player (Vito Plut).
“In midfield, they have promising Maltese players like us. True, we have Andrew Cohen, but Bjorn Kristensen and Johann Bezzina are young.
“I believe that, if we manage to control the midfield, our job will become easier.”
Nisevic played down suggestions that the international break might have a negative impact on Hibs’ first-round momentum.
“In the first round, we had two breaks and we remained consis-tent,” Nisevic said.
“We had some minor issues with players suffering slight injuries while on international duty but we can cope with this.”
Clayton Failla picked up a knock in Malta’s 1-1 draw against Bulgaria on Sunday but is expected to be declared fit to play today.
Nisevic is concerned about goalkeeper Henry Bonello who is struggling with a back problem while young wing-back Timothy Tabone Desira is still out.
Not many teams will relish the prospect of taking on Hibs these days but a defensive gameplan is simply not an option for Floriana coach Giovanni Tedesco.
“I hope that our showing against Birkirkara helped to enhance the players’ self-esteem,” Tedesco remarked.
“All the things that I said before the Birkirkara game also apply to this match.
“Defending against a strong team like Hibs doesn’t make sense for us.”
Tedesco has great admiration for the leaders.
“Hibs have a complete squad in all aspects, physically and tacti-cally,” the former Palermo and Perugia midfielder said.
“They have good qualities and their performances also show that they have a good coach.
“It has taken Hibs a few years to build this team.
“They have done well to create a solid group of players. We have embarked on a similar project at Floriana but it takes time.
“We have a crop of young players who need to be complemented with strong foreigners.”
While the win over Birkirkara has given Floriana a much-needed confidence tonic, Tedesco stressed the need for the players to stay grounded and humble.
“It (Birkirkara win) has given us faith but humility is key,” Tedesco said. “In football, it takes only one defeat to put you down.
“We know that we are facing the strongest team in the Premier League. We respect Hibs but we have no fear.”
Wing-back Sacha Borg is still injured for Floriana. Tedesco was yesterday due to assess the condition of midfielder Conor Borg who played three games in a week for the Malta U-19 team.
First round: Hibernians vs Floriana 3-0.