As much of the focus in recent weeks has been on the winning form of title candidates Birkirkara and Hibs, and Valletta’s deepening crisis, Sliema Wanderers’ ascent to a top-three position has almost slipped under the radar.
Rejuvenated under the guidance of Italian coach Alfonso Greco, Sliema have stressed that quali-fication for the Europa League remains their priority but their title chances are still alive and kicking as the Blues are only four points adrift of leaders Birkirkara ahead of their direct clash tomorrow at the National Stadium (5pm).
Birkirkara are regarded as favourites to wrest the title from Valletta but they will be wary of Sliema’s threat, moreso as the Stripes have already lost twice to the Blues this season.
Paul Zammit, the Birkirkara coach, is not looking much into his team’s negative run against Sliema.
“We haven’t won against Sliema this season but I don’t think this will have a bearing on the next game,” Zammit said. “ I have great respect for Sliema. They have a balanced squad and that is one of the reasons why Sliema are in this position.
“They’ve had a very good run in the league but, as much as I rate Sliema very highly, we need to focus on ourselves.
“The games are like finals because the situation at the top can change every weekend. There are many direct confrontations because five teams, not two, are fighting for the title and, you can’t write off any of them at this stage.”
Birkirkara’s rise to the summit has raised their fans’ optimism but Zammit urged caution.
“I believe in our squad but we all know that when our level of performance drops by a slight percentage, we can become an average team,” Zammit said.
“There have been occasions this season when we dropped points because our approach was not right.”
Like Zammit, Greco’s main concern lies with coaxing a solid performance out of his Sliema team.
“We must concentrate on our game,” the softly-spoken Greco said. “It’s important that we don’t leave the stadium with a sense of regret.
“We definitely need an important performance to do well in this game.
“Birkirkara are organised and play good football. They have something extra compared to the other teams.”
When it was put to Greco that a win for Sliema tomorrow would significantly improve their title chances, he said: “We’re not making calculations. We will do our best knowing that a good result could open new horizons for us.”
Greco’s satisfaction at Sliema’s 1-0 win over Mosta on Tuesday was tempered by their squandering a host of scoring chances.
“It was a good performance but we missed too many chances,” the Italian said. “We must improve this aspect of our game. Even in the last 20 minutes of our match against Tarxien we wasted many scoring opportunities.
“We must be more clinical in front of goal.”
Gareth Sciberras is the only doubt for Birkirkara as the midfielder is struggling with a calf injury.
Goalkeeper Henry Bonello is still sidelined for Sliema but otherwise Greco has a full squad at his disposal.
Previous results: Sliema vs Birkirkara 3-1, 0-0, 1-0.
Other matches
Qormi vs Rabat (today at 3pm, National Stadium).
Buoyed by their victory over Balzan, Rabat will be looking to pull further clear of relegation rivals Ħamrun and Melita when they take on Qormi.
Rabat coach Silvio Vella must cope without Dylan Falzon, suspended.
Qormi welcome back English defender Kris Thackray and winger Leighton Grech, who return from suspension, but Luke Sciberras is out with a one-match ban.
Previous results: Qormi vs Rabat 1-0, 3-0, 1-2.
Valletta vs Mosta (today at 5pm, National Stadium).
Down to fourth and seemingly out of the title race after three straight defeats, Valletta are under intense pressure to halt their dismal run when they meet Mosta.
Mark Miller, the City coach, must make three changes from the team that lost 4-2 to Hibs as defenders Jason Vandelannoite and Jonathan Caruana are suspended and captain Roderick Briffa has an ankle injury.
Daniel Bogdanovic is still sidelined but Luke Dimech returns from suspension.
Steve Chiemeka is the only absentee for Mosta as the Nigerian defender is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Previous results: Mosta vs Valletta 1-3, 1-0, 0-5.
Tarxien Rainbows vs Hibs (tomorrow at 3pm, National Stadium).
An intriguing derby is in prospect as title chasers Hibs take on Tarxien who are pushing for a Euro berth.
Michael Woods, the Hibs coach, is hampered by the absence of goalkeeper Mario Muscat and striker Jean Paul Farrugia, both suspended. On a more positive note, Brazilian Allan Kardeck returns after missing the Valletta game due to suspension.
Tarxien coach Clive Mizzi has no selection problems as Manuel Caruana and Orosco Anonam are available after missing the 1-0 defeat to Birkirkara.
Previous results: Hibernians vs Tarxien 2-2, 0-0, 3-0.
Floriana vs Melita (Monday at 6pm, Tedesco Stadium).
Bottom-placed Melita are in desperate need of points to revive their survival hopes.
The Reds, who drew 2-2 with Ħamrun on Monday, will be without Manuel Ramon Sierra Camacho, suspended, for their match against Relegation Pool leaders Floriana.
Floriana coach Iain Brunskill has no injury problems.
Previous results: Melita vs Floriana 2-2, 0-0, 1-2.
Ħamrun vs Balzan (Monday at 8.15pm, Tedesco Stadium).
Italian coach Riccardo Tumiatti will make his debut as Balzan coach when he leads his team against struggling Ħamrun.
Tumiatti took charge of Balzan in midweek after the club parted ways with Ivan Zammit.
Stefan Sultana, the Ħamrun coach, cannot field his best formation as David Camilleri and Bledjon Guga are out with a one-match ban.
Adrian Borg returns from suspension but French striker Loic Lumbilla is still out with a hamstring injury.
Previous results: Balzan vs Ħamrun 2-2, 3-2, 3-1.