Off the ground... Balzan’s Steve Bezzina (right) is sent flying by this tackle from Mosta’s Kurt Magro. Photo: Paul Zammit Cutajar

The notion of cutting the points by half at the end of the second round is designed to narrow the gap between the BOV Premier League teams in a bid to keep the interest alive in the final three months of the season.

As far as the title is concerned, the race looks as good as over, what with Hibs still enjoying a commanding eight-point lead over nearest pursuers Valletta and Birkirkara with only 11 games remaining.

Yet, the other issues, namely the fight for a top-four finish and the relegation scrap, are still up for grabs.

Until a few weeks ago, Balzan looked a solid bet to claim fourth place but their 2-1 slip-up to relegation strugglers Pietà Hotspurs allied with the customary division of points have diminished their advantage over the other contenders.

Balzan, who have spent big on new players this season, will be going all out to get back to winning form today when they take on Mosta who have been one of the beneficiaries of the points-halved format as they are now only four points off fourth spot.

Oliver Spiteri, the Balzan coach, knows that the next 11 games could make or break his team’s season but he remains upbeat.

“We have to rise to the occasion,” Spiteri told Times of Malta ahead of this afternoon’s game at the Tedesco Stadium (kick-off 4.15pm).

“The points will not be halved between now and the end of the season, so every victory at this stage is worth three points.

“Mosta will be no easy opponents. They are a well-equipped side.

“I had the chance to watch their new foreign players in the FA Trophy tie against Valletta and they look valid. They are very quick.

“We must pay a lot of attention and avoid making costly mistakes, especially in midfield.”

Last week, Balzan suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the FA Trophy quarter-finals, going down to leaders Hibernians 4-3 on penalties after hitting a last-minute equaliser.

Their failure to overcome a Hibs side who played the 30 minutes of extra-time with 10 men following the dismissal of striker Luis Edison ‘Tarabai’ left the Balzan players crestfallen but Spiteri has taken many positives from his team’s performance.

“The defeat to Pietà in the league was very disappointing but the team’s display in the cup match against Hibs was very encouraging as we showed resilience and created several scoring opportunities,” Spiteri said.

“Fourth place is the target we set ourselves at the start of the season and I believe that we have what it takes to achieve it.

“Our performances in the last eight games have been positive and this should enhance our optimism that we can reach our objective.”

Spiteri can rely on a full squad for today’s match.

For his part, Mosta coach Peter Smith is without new signing Ousman Koli.

The Gambian defender has been handed a one-match ban after his dismissal in the 3-1 defeat to Valletta in the FA Trophy quarter-final.

Nigerian winger Haruna Babangida is still sidelined with a thigh problem and Alieu Darbo, also from Gambia, has been unwell this week.

Kurt Magro was struggling with a muscle strain but should recover in time to face his former team.

Although Mosta have only won once in their last four league outings, Smith has not given up hope on their top-four chances.

“As long as the players believe and we all pull in the same direction, we’ve got a chance,” Smith said.

“When we have the full squad available and we approach games with the right mentality, we can climb up the table.

“We’ve got the quality to do it but we need to find some consistency.”

A win today has the potential to revive Mosta’s campaign as it would take them within a point of Balzan.

“Every game is important at this stage of the season,” Smith said. “We will be treating all our remaining matches as cup finals.

“A win against Balzan would be a good start to the third round. It will certainly not do us any harm as it would give the players a bit of self-belief and positive energy.

“It would put us in a position where we’re looking at who is above us rather than below us in the table.”

Previous encounters: Balzan vs Mosta 0-1, 1-0.