Mosta and Gżira United face a make-or-break scenario this evening as they meet in a relegation-promotion play-off at the National Stadium (kick-off 7.30pm).

Do-or-die... Mosta and Gżira United will meet in a relegation-promotion play-off this evening. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Premier League football awaits the winner of this veritable decider which has been introduced for the first time this year as part of a new format for the top-flight championship.

In the early months of the season, the prospect of Mosta contesting this end-of-season relegation showdown was unthinkable as the Blues were flying high in the Premier League but they have been in freefall in the last six months.

A 2-1 defeat to derby rivals Naxxar Lions last Friday snuffed out Mosta’s hopes of avoiding today’s decider but, on the positive side, they can still avert the dreaded drop if they emerge on top this evening.

Coach Peter Smith is banking on the experienced Maltese players to pull the team out of trouble.

“The atmosphere has been good,” Smith told Times of Malta.

“I think all the players know that we are relying on them.

“We’re relying mostly on the Maltese players as other than Haruna Babangida and Rodriguez Ekani, we don’t have many foreign players to call upon.

“And together, the Maltese players are a good group of lads. I hope they will see the team through.”

Smith is hoping that striker Ian Zammit recovers sufficiently to be able to play a part in today’s play-off but Guadeloupe-born Michael Nicoise Dawood is sidelined after undergoing cruciate surgery.

It is often said that there are no favourites ahead of one-off deciders but, despite their troubles of late, Mosta still look to have an edge over their Division One opponents.

“We are playing in a stronger league and therefore we have the stronger players,” Smith said.

“On the other hand, they ( Gżira) are finishing on a high whereas we are finishing on a low, so this evens things up in a way.

“If I’m really honest, I knew that Naxxar Lions had a stronger team than us because their foreigners are very good but when I look at Gżira’s team, I believe that we’re better.

“We have already won against them in the Trophy but this is another game. We’ve got no excuses not to beat this team (Gżira).”

Mosta eased to a 4-1 win over Gżira United in the fourth round of the Knock-Out competition but it’s a measure of the constant chopping and changing that has destabilised the Blues this season that their three scorers in that game, Gary Roberts, Mateus and Nemanja Milovanovic, are no longer part of their squad.

Gżira United have endured an up-and-down campaign in Division One. They began the season with high hopes of challenging for automatic promotion but their early travails left them with a mountain to climb, leading the club to dismiss coach Michael Woods who has been replaced by Darren Abdilla.

Yet, the Maroons have done well to earn another crack at promotion after coming through a tense penalty shoot-out in a third-place decider againsts Melita.

Sharlon Pace, the president of Gżira United, is hoping that his team will seize this exciting opportunity to secure promotion by winning a play-off.

“We will give our all to reach our target,” Pace, himself a former player, said.

“There is a good atmosphere in the dressing room. Our late push for promotion has also revived enthusiasm among the fans.

“Our goal at the start of the season was to challenge for promotion but the supporters had given up hope after a bad run in the league.

“Now that we have managed to book our place in this decider, the fans have rediscovered their enthusiasm and I hope we will make it a memorable evening for them tomorrow (today).”

FA Trophy loss

Gżira know that they can’t afford a repeat of their tame showing in the 4-1 Trophy defeat to Mosta but Pace played down the significance of that result.

“At that stage of the season, the Trophy was not our priority,” Pace said.

“It was not the most important game for us and the coach even rested some players but the situation is different now.

“For this match, we will play at full strength.”

The Maroons’ status as underdogs means that they are under less pressure than Mosta and Pace hopes this factor will work in his side’s favour.

“The pressure is on them,” he said. “The worst-case scenario for us is that we will remain in Division One if we don’t win but if Mosta lose, they will be relegated.

“There is no denying that we are also under some pressure as we are determined to win this match but their position is more delicate.

“Mosta are not going through a particularly bright patch. On paper, they are stronger than us but if they make mistakes, we have players who can punish them.”

Spanish striker Moises Avila-Perez and Italian forward Matteo Caribotti are Gżira’s key foreigners but they can also rely on a host of homegrown players who were born overseas, the likes of John Nwoba and Dejan Vukovic.