The 2016/17 BOV Premier League is still in its infancy but the first duel between Valletta and Balzan has the feel of an early showdown between two title candidates.

Together with Birkirkara, Valletta, the reigning champions, and Balzan have a flawless record after three games but something has to give in today’s clash at the National Stadium.

Argentine striker Federico Falcone capped his return from injury with a brace to inspire Valletta to a 5-1 rout of Pembroke Athleta last weekend but the Citizens’ joy was tempered by the news that Malta midfielder Roderick Briffa faces a long spell on the sidelines after rupturing his cruciate ligaments.

Valletta coach Paul Zammit expressed his sadness at Briffa’s injury.

“Losing a player to an injury of that kind is difficult for the whole group,” Zammit told Times of Malta yesterday.

“It’s hard to deal with these situations, moreso if you lose a player like Roderick Briffa who has given a lot to Valletta FC and Maltese football in general.

“We know we’re going to be without a key player for a long period of time and we’re all very sorry for him.

“It’s a setback but I have a lot of faith in the strength and attitude of my squad as, until now, we have shown that we can cope with all the ups and downs during the championship.”

Briffa’s absence has put a further strain on Zammit’s midfield resources as Italian Claudio Pani is out, suspended, and Malta U-21 international Llywelyn Cremona has just recovered from a hamstring tear.

The dearth of midfielders is a concern for Zammit but he believes that Valletta’s tactical versatility will help them overcome this hurdle.

“It’s always a headache when important players are out with suspension or injury,” Zammit said.

“One of the things I’ve been emphasising, even before we em-barked on this project, was the importance of creating a squad that can be versatile, tactical-wise.

“By changing systems and tactical situations, I believe that we can offset certain problems.”

With Balzan now firmly established as one of the leading teams in the country, Zammit views today’s match as a useful test for the champions.

“In the first round, teams measure themselves up against each other,” the Valletta coach said.

“Although it’s still early in the season, the indications are that teams can drop points against anyone.

“Balzan are one of those clubs who continued to invest in their squad this summer, sticking to their plan to become one of the top teams in the country, and they are succeeding.

“We expect a difficult game but this is an important test for us as we have a chance to gauge ourselves against one of the most ambitious clubs in the Premier League.”

Having steered Balzan to three hard-fought victories, coach Oliver Spiteri knows that his team face their toughest challenge yet in this campaign.

“It’s too early to talk of title clashes but our priority is to gain a positive result,” Spiteri said.

“Everyone is aware of Valletta’s pedigree. They have a lot of valid players and further strengthened their ranks this summer with the signings of Steve Borg, Leandro Aguirre and Santiago Malano.

“It’s true that they have suffered a setback with Briffa’s injury, and I take the opportunity to wish him a speedy recovery, but Valletta have a strong squad.”

Valletta’s formidable attack is back on song after Falcone’s return but Spiteri insisted that it’s not only the forward line that makes the Whites one of the most feared sides in the league.

“Valletta are a very compact side,” Spiteri said. “They are very solid at the back with Jonathan Caruana, Steve Borg, Juan Cruz Gill and Romeu Romao.

“You can say that Valletta have no major weaknesses but this is a game between two fine teams and anything can happen.”

Balzan are expected to improve on their fourth-place finish last season after reinforcing an already strong squad in the off-season.

Spiteri can bank on an array of creative, attacking players after bolstering his forward line with the arrivals of Tunisian winger Abdelkarim Nafti, who will be relishing the prospect of facing Valletta for the first time after his three-year spell with the club came to an end this summer, Matteo Piciollo, signed on loan from Floriana, and Alan Da Silva, who rejoined the club late last month.

“We have brought in players to increase the depth of our squad,” Spiteri said.

“Last season, we struggled when we were missing key players through suspension or injury but now we have several options. I believe that we have closed the gap on teams like Valletta.”

Brazilian midfielder Anderson Francisco de Barros is out of the equation for Balzan after picking up a foot injury in the 1-0 victory over Floriana but otherwise Spiteri has no selection problems.

Despite gleaning maximum points from their opening three games, Balzan have hardly sparkled but Spiteri declared himself pleased with his side’s progress.

“In each of our three league games, we raised our level of performance and that’s very important,” Spiteri said.

“At this early stage of the season, it’s all about winning points.

“The last match was very difficult but we managed to overcome a tough hurdle that is Floriana. I’m confident that we will improve further as the season progresses but, until now, we have had more positives than negatives.”

Diamoutene doubtful

■ Gżira United coach Branko Nisevic has injury doubts over Mali defender Souleymane Diamoutene and wing-back Dyson Falzon ahead of the match against Mosta.

Diamoutene hurt his ankle during the Maroons’ 1-0 win over Sliema Wanderers last weekend, their first victory of the season, while Falzon picked up a knock during training this week.

Mosta will again be without Jamaican defender Triston Grant, who is still nursing a groin injury, but Kurt Magro is available after recovering from knee trouble.

Slovak midfielder Martin Vlcek also returns after missing last week’s 3-1 defeat to Hibernians due to injury.

Azzopardi setback

■ Tarxien Rainbows’ wretched start to the season has been further compounded by the news that Ayrton Azzopardi is set for a long spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

The young winger was forced to leave the field in the first half of the 1-0 defeat to St Andrew’s which extended Tarxien’s winless opening to three games.

Defender Ebiabowei Baker is also out for the Rainbows after his red card last week.

Floriana, still reeling from their last-gasp defeat to Balzan, will be keen to bounce back to winning ways. Coach Giovanni Tedesco can bank on a full squad.

Hibs chase third win

■ Hibs have no fresh injury worries as they chase their third successive victory against bottom-placed Pembroke Athleta.

Mark Miller, the Hibs coach, is set to field the same team that beat Mosta 3-1 last week as Equatorial Guinea duo Rui Da Gracia Gomes and Diosdado Mbele are out injured, while Jonathan Pearson is abroad.

Pembroke, without a point after three games, are boosted by the return of forward Luke Montebello and winger Siraj Arab after both saw out their two-match bans.

Coach Winston Muscat needs to check on the fitness of midfielder Clifford Gauci who has a niggling injury.

Saints miss foreign duo

■ St Andrew’s will be without Ante Bakmaz and Nenad Belacevic when they face Ħamrun Spartans in tomorrow’s opening match at the National Stadium.

The Saints are on a high after breaking their duck last weekend with a 1-0 win over Tarxien Rainbows.

Croatian defender Bakmaz is out with a one-match ban after his dismissal against the Rainbows while Serbian midfielder Belacevic is likely to be out for at least three weeks due to an injured knee.

Ħamrun coach Stephen D’Amato is unlikely to make significant changes from the team that put on a robust performance in the 2-1 defeat to Birkirkara.

Goalkeeper Frederick Tabone and Colombian defender Luis Vergara are still on the casualty list.

Stripes out to make it four

■ Birkirkara will be bidding to extend their perfect start to the season when they meet Sliema Wanderers, tomorrow.

With fellow front-runners Balzan and Valletta going head to head tonight, the Stripes could move clear at the top if they beat the Blues.

Drazen Besek, the Birkirkara coach, has no fresh injury problems following last week’s 2-1 defeat of Ħamrun Spartans with Serbian defender Christian Bubalovic the only notable absentee with a knee problem.

The Wanderers are desperate to kickstart their season after their 1-0 upset to Gżira United left them without a point after three games.

Programme

Playing today
Hibs Stadium: 18.00 Mosta vs Gżira United; 20.00 Tarxien Rainbows vs Floriana.
National Stadium: 18.00 Pembroke Athleta vs Hibernians; 20.00 Balzan vs Valletta.

Tomorrow
National Stadium: 18.00 Ħamrun Spartans vs St Andrew’s; 20.00 Sliema Wanderers vs Birkirkara.

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