In today’s opening FA Trophy quarter-final, holders Valletta, who have 12 KO titles to their name, meet fellow Premier League side Mosta.
The FA Trophy represents Valletta’s best hope of silverware this season after they slipped eight points behind Hibernians in the league.
The Citizens, who beat Melita 2-0 in the fourth round, start as favourites but Mosta’s threat is not to be dismissed, even though the Blues have been very unpredictable this season.
Mosta pulled off a shock 1-0 win over Valletta in their opening Premier League match this season but suffered a 5-0 drubbing in the corresponding second-round fixture.
Ivan Zammit, the Valletta coach, is short of strikers as Englishman Lateef Elford-Alliyu has yet to fully recover from injury and Dutch forward Djamel Leeflang is out with a foot problem.
Jonathan Caruana may also miss the match after sustaining a slight injury in the 1-1 league draw against Birkirkara last weekend.
Mosta coach Peter Smith is concerned about the fitness of Nigerian winger Haruna Babangida and defender Mark Brincat.
Dyson Falzon is set to make his comeback from injury but new signing, Gambian defender Usman Koli, is unlikely to feature as he is not match fit.
The Blues, who lost 2-1 to Sliema last weekend, ousted Gżira United (4-1) in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.
Tomorrow, all eyes will be on Sirens as the Division Two side, the only team outside the Premier League to reach the FA Trophy quarter-finals, will be bidding to defy the odds once again when they meet Qormi. Sirens caught the eye in the previous round with a 6-0 mauling of then Division One high-fliers Gudja United.
For Qormi, tomorrow’s match is make-or-break.
They desperately need a win and a convincing performance not only to book a place in the semi-finals but also to lift their spirits in their scrap against relegation.
Last weekend, Qormi surrendered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw against Floriana on coach Mark Miller’s debut. In the previous round of the knock-out, Qormi accounted for the Greens after beating them 3-1.
The fourth and final quarter-final sees Birkirkara take on Pietà Hotspurs.
With their title hopes looking remote at best, Birkirkara are eyeing success in the FA Trophy to salvage their season.
The Stripes are hoping to end a seven-year wait to win their fifth FA Trophy while Pietà have never etched their name on the coveted cup.
For tomorrow’s match, coach Paul Zammit is hoping to recover captain Gareth Sciberras and Brazilian Rafael Ledesma but Eliandro is unlikely to be available as he is still struggling with a hamstring problem.
Midfielder Ryan Scicluna returns after serving a one-match ban in the draw against Valletta. Birkirkara, who eliminated Division Two side Siġġiewi (3-0) in the last round, have been in talks with left-back Joseph Zerafa who is reportedly willing to rejoin the club.
For their part, Pietà edged out Victoria Hotspurs on their way to the last eight. Coach Noel Coleiro is hopeful of having a full squad at his disposal as Cain Attard is set to return after being sidelined with a fractured wrist.