Birkirkara and Hibernians will be looking to keep their title challenge on track when they face each other in a top clash at the National Stadium, on Sunday.

At present, just two points separate second-placed Birkirkara from Hibernians who are on 17 points and sharing third place with Valletta as Balzan lead the way with 22 points from eight matches.

Last week, Birkirkara were in rampant form as they brushed aside Gżira United by a staggering 7-1 scoreline while Hibernians showed great resilience to hold on to a narrow 1-0 win over St Andrew’s despite playing the last 30 minutes of the match with a player less.

Birkirkara coach Drazen Besek is not giving too much importance to his team’s impressive showing against the Maroons as he’s urging his men to chalk up a far more valuable victory at Hibernians’ expense.

“Against Gżira we played a great match but that’s out of our system now as we try to get the three points against Hibernians which is our main goal at the moment,” Besek told Times of Malta.

“It was nice to win with such a big margin in our last match but we can’t dwell on that too much, we just have to concentrate on what we have to do to keep our challenge going.

“We have seen this season that each time we lower our guard we drop valuable points. Birkirkara cannot afford that to happen against a strong team like Hibernians.”

The Croatian mentor was im-pressed by the attacking qualities of the Paolites.

“Hibernians are a very difficult team to beat,” he said.

“They play fast, attacking football and are very dangerous on counter-attacks. Besides, they are very solid defensively so it’s not going to be easy for us to beat them on Sunday.

“But this will be another important test for us and the team know they will have to raise their level of play to remain in touch with leaders Balzan.”

Besek is likely to have a full squad available but the same cannot be said of his counterpart Mark Miller.

The Hibs coach is plagued by the absence of various regulars.

Jonathan Pearson sustained a back injury against St Andrew’s and has joined Johann Bezzina, Andrew Cohen, Rui Gracia Gomez and Clayton Failla in the treatment room. Wing-back Joseph Mbong is out with a one-match ban.

Despite the problems, Miller is still backing his players to stay on the winning track not to lose ground with the front-runners in the table.

“Matches against the top teams normally bring the best out of my players. We do have some problems in the squad at the moment but we can still give Birkirkara a good run for their money,” Miller said.

“They are one of the most consistent teams in the championship and we have great respect for them. But, at Hibs, we have enough talent to cause them problems and I’m very confident of that.

“Like them, for us the three points are important as we do not want to slip out of contention so early in the season. The same goes for the other leading teams but I know my players can handle the pressure when playing these kind of matches.”

Many reckon that the change in format has turned every match into a must-win situation and Miller agrees. He said he wants his team to remain in the top positions of the table before the start of the New Year where he hopes Hibernians will be in a position to sustain their challenge.

“This year the championship is a lot tougher than before as you can’t afford to lose matches. You know, points won’t be halved any more at the half-way stage,” the Englishman said.

“That has made the race very hard to predict as all teams will drop points along the way… that’s why it’s important to stay consistent until the end of the year.

“Then, perhaps, we can recover some of our best players and show our true potential in the championship run-in.”

Borg back for Maroons

■ Jurgen Borg makes a timely return from injury for Gżira United as they prepare to face Floriana this evening.

Borg skipped his team’s 7-1 mauling to Birkirkara due to injury and his replacement, Jamie Azzopardi, was dismissed leaving coach Branko Nisevic with a potential selection headache.

Borg resumed training this week as the Maroons look to bounce back from last week’s poor showing. Winger Dyson Falzon is out with a knee injury.

Floriana will have Italian coach Giovanni Tedesco completing a four-match touchline ban today.

Italian defender Enrico Pepe is also ruled as he must serve a one-match suspension.

Valletta eye another win

■ Valletta will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they play third-bottom St Andrew’s at the Ħamrun ground.

Last week, the Citizens had to dig deep before grinding a 1-0 win over Tarxien Rainbows, courtesy of a fine strike from Michael Mifsud.

Coach Paul Zammit has no injury worries but keeper Henry Bonello is out as he must serve his second of a three-match ban.

St Andrew’s, now under the charge of former City striker Danilo Doncic, are also expected to bank on the same players that featured in the 1-0 defeat to Hibernians.

Winger Daniel Brandle is their only major absentee as he continues with his recovery from a hamstring strain.

Reds banking on Jorginho

■ Ħamrun can bank on midfielder Jorginho as they take on bottom side Pembroke.

The Brazilian missed his team’s 3-1 defeat to leaders Balzan through suspension but is now available for selection. Goalkeeper David Cassar is still out with groin trouble while midfielder Luke Sciberras must undergo a late fitness test.

Pembroke will be determined not to finish empty-handed from this match to move away from bottom spot in the table.

Coach Artim Shaqiri, who replaced Winston Muscat earlier this month, must have been encouraged by his team’s gutsy showing against Sliema only to concede a late goal that condemned them to defeat.

Pembroke are still without striker Luke Montebello but wing-back Asim Djelilj returns from suspension.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, coach Muscat had his three-month touchline ban reduced to three matches by the Malta FA Appeals Board.

Sliema start favourites

■ Sliema Wanderers start favourites to beat second-bottom side Mosta on Sunday.

The Blues will be keen to shown signs of improvement after Sunday’s low-key showing in a 1-0 win over Pembroke as they eye a fifth successive win.

The Wanderers will be without midfielder Peter Xuereb, who must serve a one-match ban, as striker Milos Galin is rated doubtful with back issues.

Defender Stefano Bianciardi remains sidelined with a knee injury. He is expected to return after next month’s international break.

Mosta, with just one point to show from the last three matches, cannot bank on midfielder Kurt Magro (suspended) but otherwise coach Ivan Zammit has a full squad available.

Tricky test for Balzan

■ League leaders Balzan are bracing themselves for a tricky test against Tarxien.

The Reds will be hunting for a victory to protect their three-point lead over nearest pursuers Birkirkara. However, Balzan will be wary of the threat posed by Tarxien who made life difficult for champions Valletta in their last league outing.

Coach Oliver Spiteri is still without long-term absentee Justin Grioli.

The Rainbows, too, are likely to have the same players that featured in the 1-0 defeat to Valletta as Ayrton Azzopardi, out with a knee injury, is their only major absentee.

Programme

Playing today (Tedesco Stadium)
Floriana vs Gżira United - 18.00
St Andrew’s vs Valletta - 20.15

Tomorrow (Tedesco Stadium)
Ħamrun Spartans vs Pembroke - 15.00
Tarxien Rainbows vs Balzan - 17.15

Sunday (National Stadium)
Sliema Wanderers vs Mosta - 15.00
Birkirkara vs Hibernians - 17.00