Birkirkara and Hibernians, the two leading candidates for the league crown, will be bidding to strike a potentially decisive blow in this season’s title race when they lock horns tomorrow at the National Stadium (kick-off 5pm).
Birkirkara will make a giant stride towards winning the championship if they overcome the second-placed Paolites while victory for the latter would put them in pole position with only three games left.
Either way you look at it, the stakes are really high for both teams who seem to have struck top form at the right time as faltering champions Valletta, now seven points off the top, have discovered to their cost in recent weeks.
Given that Birkirkara have a two-point lead at the top, it has been widely suggested that a draw would appease the Stripes but coach Paul Zammit is not thinking along those lines.
“It has been said that two out of three possible outcomes would be good for us but we’re not thinking that way,” Zammit told The Times yesterday.
“After this game, the title race could take a different twist. A win for us would signi-ficantly boost our chances whereas three points for Hibs would not only strengthen their hopes, it could also drag other teams back into contention.
“If Hibs win, they will go top. So, if we want to strengthen our position, only one result would do for us.”
Zammit is not surprised with Hibs’ emergence as genuine title contenders this season.
“Hibs have had a good season,” he said.
“They’ve been through some bad patches, like other teams, but have a lot of qualities which have put them in the position they’re in. And for the type of game they play, the signing of Tarabai (Luis Edison) has been the cherry on the cake.”
Zammit is worried about the fitness of four key players who are rated as doubtful, namely Gareth Sciberras, Rowen Muscat, Shola Shodiya Haruna and Jhonnattann.
Hibs coach Michael Woods is expected to name his best team as goalkeeper Mario Muscat and Malta U-21 striker Jean Paul Farrugia are available after seeing out a one-match ban.
Woods acknowledged that his team are faced with a must-win scenario.
Woods said: “We must win as a draw would leave us two points behind Birkir-kara.
“Our performance in the last two matches has lifted my confidence. If we play as well as we did against Valletta and Tarxien, we can get a good result against Birkirkara.
“The last two wins helped us a lot, especially as we were coming from two below-par showings. The return of Tarabai and Jonathan Pearson, who is now playing regularly in defence, have really benefited the team.”
While Hibs are fighting on two fronts after reaching the semi-finals of the U*Bet FA Trophy, Birkirkara’s only hope of silverware rests on the league.
Woods claimed that Birkirkara’s early exit from the Trophy may have been a blessing in disguise.
“After they lost in the Trophy, Birkirkara concentrated everything on the league,” Woods said.
“They certainly have the material to challenge and they’ve been very consistent in the Championship Pool.
“Birkirkara are strong in every department and are led by a very intelligent coach... it’s a whole package.”
Previous results: Hibernians vs Birkirkara 0-1, 0-0, 0-1.
The other matches
Melita vs Qormi (today at 3pm, National Stadium).
Time is running out for Melita as they are bottom of the table on 10 points with only four games left.
Anything short of victory against Qormi would all but shatter Melita’s fading hopes of resurrecting their survival bid.
Patxi Salinas, the Melita coach, is expected to make some changes to his team from the 2-0 defeat to Floriana. On the plus side, midfielder Manuel Ramon Sierra Camacho is available after serving a one-match ban.
Qormi, virtually safe after their 4-0 defeat of Rabat, will be without Christian Cassar and Matthew Bartolo, both out with hamstring problems.
Previous results: Melita vs Qormi 3-2, 1-2, 0-2.
Sliema Wanderers vs Valletta (today at 5pm, National Stadium).
This match between Sliema and Valletta is a direct clash for third place as the two sides are level on 30 points.
Valletta, who ended a run of three straight defeats with a 6-1 rout of Mosta, have some key players sidelined with injuries, including captain Roderick Briffa (knee), Ryan Fenech (groin) and Steve Borg (knee).
Abubakar Bello-Osagie is doubtful but Daniel Bogdanovc has resumed training and could make the squad. Defenders Jason Vandelannoite and Jonathan Caruana return from suspension.
Sliema, who lost 1-0 to Birkirkara last weekend, will be without two regular players, Ian Zammit and Mark Scerri, due to suspension.
Previous results: Sliema vs Valletta 1-1, 0-2, 0-0.
Tarxien vs Mosta (tomorrow at 3pm, National Stadium).
Without a win and a goal to their name in the last three outings, Tarxien will be aiming to end that negative run when they meet a Mosta side who have lost all six of their Championship Pool matches so far.
Tarxien coach Clive Mizzi is concerned about the fitness of Daniel Mariano Bueno, Justin Grioli and Orosco Anonam. Defender Branislav Timotic is suspended.
For Mosta, midfielder Carlos Campagnoli is out for the rest of the season due to an ankle problem. Steve Chiemeka is also sidelined with knee trouble.
Previous results: Tarxien vs Mosta 2-0, 3-1, 3-0.