Title favourites Hibernians have lost a key defender for three of their remaining four BOV Premier League games after Rui De Gracia Gomes was handed a three-match ban yesterday.

The Equatorial Guinea international was sanctioned after he was shown a straight red card by referee Esther Azzopardi for headbutting Sliema striker Mateus after just 18 minutes of Hibs’ come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Blues on Sunday.

While Gomes will miss the games against Floriana, Balzan and Birkirkara, captain Andrew Cohen has been ruled out of Saturday’s clash with the Greens after receiving a one-match ban for four yellow cards.

Floriana will also have an important player missing as forward Matteo Piciollo was handed a one-match ban following his sending-off in the 1-0 defeat to Valletta.

The Greens could be hit further by suspensions as the Malta FA are expected to take retrospective action against forward Amadou Samb for elbowing Valletta defender Ian Azzopardi, an incident that was not seen by the match officials.

Valletta duo Luke Dimech and Hamza Barry, banned for four yellow cards, will skip the match against Sliema tomorrow while third-placed Birkirkara will be without Joseph Zerafa and Maurizio Mazzetti, also suspended for four bookings, for Sunday’s match against Żebbuġ Rangers.

Relegation strugglers Rangers will have to make do without defender David Alejandro Reano who collected his fourth yellow card in the 4-1 defeat to Balzan on Monday.

Pietà Hotspurs’ relegation fight has been further complicated by the two-match touchline ban to coach Noel Coleiro.

He was ordered off the bench for persisent protests in the second half of the Hotspurs’ 3-2 defeat to Mosta last Friday.