In days gone by, clashes between Sliema Wanderers and Floriana lured thousands to the Empire Stadium.

Those were the days when these two glorious clubs boasted formidable teams, both brimming with great players who fought tooth and nail for every honour at stake.

It says all about their sharp decline in the last two decades that Sliema and Floriana are in mid-table, way off the top, as they gear up for their second-round meeting tomorrow at the National Stadium (kick-off 2pm).

With the majority of teams swapping positions week in week out in what is turning out to be a fierce struggle to surge clear of the drop zone, sixth-placed Sliema and Floriana, two points down in eighth, will be extra-motivated to claim maximum points.

The prospect of striking a psychological blow ahead of their FA Trophy third round clash next Wednesday ought to further increase their determination to win.

A 5-0 hiding to leaders Hibernians has turned up the heat on Floriana to make amends.

Giovanni Tedesco, the Floriana coach, was clearly disappointed with his team’s timid performance last week but expects a bold reaction from his players.

“It’s normal that there has to be a reaction after a heavy defeat,” Tedesco told Times of Malta.

“We have to bounce back, also as a sign of respect to our fans and the club that is making a lot of sacrifices to make sure that the squad’s needs are catered for.”

Tedesco is aware that his young players may find it hard to put the upset to Hibs behind them but he is confident that these experiences will help them grow and mature.

“I’ve worked hard on the psychological aspect,” Tedesco said.

“It’s not easy to recover from a defeat like that but the team needs to grow. It’s part of the learning curve. Defeats also help teams to mature, not just winning.

“We have to give credit to Hibs... they beat us hands down because they have a great team but we must learn from our mistakes.”

Floriana turned in a positive performance in their first-round match against Sliema, which ended 1-1, but the Blues have been through a coaching change and brought in a host of new players since then.

“Sliema are a different team from the first round,” Tedesco added.

“They have acquired new players. Last weekend, they had a new player (Bocar Djumo) on the flank.

“When we played them in August, Fabio Mangiacasale and (Guy) Gnabouyou had not joined Sliema yet, so their present team is different and stronger.”

On the injury front, flank defender Sacha Borg is still out while Gary Muir returned to training on Thursday after a six-week lay-off.

Like Floriana, who take on Valletta after their two games against Sliema, the Wanderers have a daunting week ahead of them as they face Hibs today week.

Coach Stephen Azzopardi is hoping that the next seven days will kickstart his team’s season.

“We’re looking at the whole week,” Azzopardi said.

“We have three tough games in seven days and our aim is to attain some continuity, not only results-wise but also in terms of performances and attitude of the players.

“It will be a difficult week. The opponents are strong and in the cup it’s do-or-die. We were handed a very tough draw and the time between the games is very short.”

With all teams, bar Hibs, struggling for consistency this season, Azzopardi admitted that every game, regardless of the opposition, is a stern test.

“To tell you the truth, the threat comes not just from facing a team like Floriana but there are dangers lurking in every game because there has been a levelling of the teams in the championship,” Azzopardi said.

“In the first years of my career as a Premier League coach, there were a number of games where I was convinced that, if we approached them in the right way, we had a very good chance of winning but that is no longer the case.

“This year’s championship is very unpredictable. We talk about teams being inconsistent in the league but this is also down to the fact that the league is more balanced.”

Michael Mifsud’s first goal in 12 games and a hard-earned 2-0 win over Tarxien raised Sliema’s spirits ahead of a testing week.

“The win over Tarxien was important for several reasons,” Azzopardi added.

“I had to improvise with my selection as we were missing several players in two key positions. We gave a debut to Bocar and Peter Xuereb played from the start.

“Michael has been through a difficult period as this is the first time in his career that he had to wait so long to score a goal.

“He has been working hard and contributing to the team but the expectations were very high after Michael, the Malta captain, rejoined Sliema Wanderers.”

Azzopardi has several selection problems. Midfielder Mark Scerri is suspended while Andrea Pisanu (knee), Clifford Gatt Baldacchino (quad) and Alex Muscat (cruciate) are still sidelined.

Serbian Marko Potezica is doubtful due to a hamstring injury while Paltemio Barbetti has been suspended for 28 days by Sliema’s disciplinary board after the Italian was fined by the Court for forgery.

On the plus side, Italian defender Andrea Scozzese is back from suspension.

First round result: Sliema Wanderers vs Floriana 1-1.