If recent results are anything to go by, champions Valletta should be regarded as favourites to emerge victorious from their tiff with Floriana but they will be wary of the wounded Greens who will be going all out to put their season back on track with a win tonight.

A 2-2 draw against Balzan, coupled with Birkirkara’s slip-up to Sliema Wanderers, meant Valletta stayed top on 10 points.

By contrast, Floriana suffered an unexpected setback ahead of their first clash with their derby rivals this season as a toothless display against Tarxien consigned them to a 1-0 loss, their second in a row.

Valletta coach Paul Zammit played down suggestions that his team have an edge over Floriana who prevailed 2-0 in their last meeting back in April.

“We are still at the start of the season,” Zammit told Times of Malta.

“As such, derbies between Valletta and Floriana are always intense and hard-fought, regardless of when they are played. The players and fans look forward to this fixture.

“Both teams have their immediate objectives based on their positions in the standings.

“We are coming from a series of positive results but there were passages in certain games when we didn’t do particularly well and we need to improve those aspects.

“As for Floriana, they will be tough opponents. They are one of the clubs who invested in their squad in the close season.”

On Saturday, Valletta looked on course to stretch their winning start  after surging into a 2-0 half-time lead but struggled to cope with Balzan’s second-half fightback.

Zammit said his players are angry with themselves for their second-half decline but lauded his team for their attitude.

“Rather than disappointed, we are angry with ourselves,” the Valletta coach remarked.

“That said, I’m still happy with the attitude of my players.

“With all those central midfield players missing, we knew that the only way we could have won the game was through tactical work and in the  opening half our rhythm was excellent. But, the story was completely different after the break.

“With all due respect to our opponents, who deserve credit for their comeback, it was our fault that we lost control of the game because we dropped our rhythm.

“We made it possible for Balzan to get back into contention. However, I prefer to focus on the positives and hats off to my players for an exceptional first half.”

Floriana are four points behind Valletta after four games but Zammit is not reading too much into that at this stage of the campaign.

“The change in the technical staff has also brought a change in Floriana’s tactical approach compared to last season,” he said.

“Floriana are coming from two negative results but make no mistake, they will fight back.

“They have already shown their character and will be looking at this match as the perfect opportunity to bounce back.

“We have to rise to the challenge in terms of playing with the right determination and motivation.”

Cremona, Pani back

For today’s derby, Zammit is expected to welcome back midfielders Llywelyn Cremona, who has recovered from a hamstring problem, and Claudio Pani, who has completed a two-match ban.

Midfielder Roderick Briffa had cruciate surgery in Rome yesterday afternoon and will be out for several months. Goalkeeper Nicky Vella is also out after cruciate operation.

Floriana midfielder Clyde Borg will miss the derby after receiving a one-match ban following his dismissal in the 1-0 reverse against Tarxien but otherwise Giovanni Tedesco can bank on a full squad.

The Italian, back at the helm of Floriana after succeeding Luis Oliveira this summer, said the two key words for his team ahead of today’s match against Valletta are humility and sacrifice.

“The only words I want to emphasise before this game are humility and sacrifice,” Tedesco said.

“We know we’re playing against a very strong team who won the league title last season… I have personally congratulated Valletta coach Paul Zammit for their achievement.

“There is a lot of quality in our squad but we need to show this on the field of play if we are to compete with the likes of Valletta.

“And we can only do that by being humble and show a strong sense of sacrifice.

“I want my team to fight from the first till the last minute.”

The mood in the Floriana camp may be downbeat after their shock defeat to Tarxien but Tedesco believes that the derby will bring the best out of his team.

“In this difficult moment for our team, Valletta are perhaps the ideal opponents we could hope to meet because the derby is not an ordinary game,” Tedesco said.

“This kind of match elicits higher levels of motivation and determination inside the players.

“In psychological terms, I prefer to face Valletta rather than a team in the bottom half of the table now but I repeat… we need to go into the match with a sense of humility and a readiness to fight and help each other on the pitch.”

Sliema chase second win

■  Today, Sliema Wanderers will fancy their chances of making it two wins on the trot after ending their winless start with a 2-1 success against Birkirkara.

Coach John Buttigieg will warn his players not to underestimate St Andrew’s who will be looking to make amends for their 3-1 upset to Ħamrun Spartans.

With first-choice centre-halves Stefano Bianciardi and Roger sidelined with injuries, Buttigieg is expected to stick with Alex Muscat and Marko Potezica in the heart of defence.

Italian goalkeeper Giuseppe Sarao is highly doubtful after leaving the field with a dead leg in the first half of the Birkirkara win.

For St Andrew’s, Ante Bakmaz has served his one-match ban but the Croatian defender was down with flu in the last few days.

Coach Josè Borg is hoping to receive the all-clear to field striker Kyrian Nwoko, who missed the Spartans defeat with a minor injury, but Serbian midfielder Nenad Bela-cevic is still on the sidelines.

Prendes, Rogelio banned

■  Tarxien Rainbows will be without four first-team players for their match against Ħamrun Spartans.

Spanish midfielder Sergio Prendes and Brazilian forward Rogelio Avila were handed a one-match ban yesterday following their dismissal in the 1-0 defeat of Floriana last weekend.

Forward Julian Galea has joined Ayrton Azzopardi in the treatment room after a groin strain against the Greens.

Ħamrun coach Stephen D’Amato is likely to pick the same team that came back from a goal down to beat St Andrew’s 3-1.

Colombian defender Louis Vergara is still injured.

Gżira miss Brazilian duo

■  Gżira United and Pembroke Athleta are desperate for the three points after suffering defeats at the weekend.

Branko Nisevic’s attacking options are undermined by the absence of Brazilian duo Joceano and Robert who both saw red in Gżira’s 2-1 defeat to Mosta.

Robert was hit with a two-match ban yesterday while Joceano was suspended for one game.

With Brazilian striker Liliu joining Souleymane Diamoutene (ankle), Dyson Falzon (groin) and John Nwoba (knee) on the casualty list, Nisevic has a shortage of options for tomorrow’s clash.

Pembroke, who conceded a last-gasp goal in their 2-1 loss to Hibs, are sweating on the fitness of striker Luke Montebello who picked up a muscle injury against the Paolites.

Pembroke are the only side in the Premier League without a point.

Hibs test for Balzan

■  Balzan’s bold comeback in their 2-2 draw against Valletta will have raised their morale ahead of what promises to be another tough clash with Hibs.

Not that the Paolites are lacking in confidence after fighting back from a goal down to beat Pembroke 2-1 last Saturday.

Oliver Spiteri, the Balzan mentor who is part of a group of Maltese coaches visiting Belgium as part of their UEFA Pro Course, has no fresh selection problems.

Midfielders Anderson and Ryan Fenech are Balzan’s only notable absentees.

Hibs coach Mark Miller, who is also due to return from Belgium tonight along with his assistant Josef Mansueto, may be tempted to award a starting role to Juan Varea who scored the equaliser after coming on as a substitute in the win over Pembroke.

Injured duo Rui Da Gracia Gomes and Diosdado Mbele, both from Equatorial Guinea, are still out of the picture.

Stripes aim to bounce back

■  Birkirkara will be determined to put their poor showing against Sliema Wanderers behind them when they meet Mosta.

The 2-1 defeat to Sliema has turned up the heat on the Stripes who had been widely tipped to extend their perfect start to the season but their performance on the day was an anti-climax.

Drazen Besek, the Birkirkara coach, is again set to be without defender Christian Bubalovic who is nursing a knee injury.

Mosta, on a high after a 2-1 win over Gżira, will have to do without winger Njongo Priso who received a one-match ban following his dismissal last weekend.

Defender Tristan Grant and Kurt Magro have returned to training after recovering from injuries.

Programme

Playing today (National Stadium)
18.00 St Andrew’s vs Sliema Wanderers
20.00 Floriana vs Valletta

Tomorrow (Hibernians Stadium)
18.00 Tarxien vs Ħamrun Spartans
20.00 Hibernians vs Balzan

Tomorrow (Tedesco Stadium)
18.00 Gżira United vs Pembroke Athleta
20.15 Birkirkara vs Mosta

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