Birkirkara have blown hot and cold this season but this has done little to dampen the surge in expectation that precede their matches with Valletta.

The rivalry between these two teams, stretching back to the late nineties when the hitherto underachieving Stripes emerged as a major force in Maltese football, has enriched the allure of this fixture to the point that clashes between Valletta and Birkirkara are regarded among the highlights of the season.

With the start of crunch time in the 2011/12 campaign looming large, these two teams will be going all out to take the three points from their second-round meeting today at the National Stadium (kick-off 4 p.m.).

Top of the league, Valletta have their eyes centred on victory to retain the initiative in the title race with coach Jesmond Zerafa calling on his players to consolidate top spot ahead of the Championship Pool.

“The next three games are all important,” Zerafa said.

“There are nine points at stake and we must try to collect as many as possible to boost our position before the start of the next round.

“The Championship Pool matches are like 10 finals and we want to be in a strong position at the start of this crucial phase.”

Zerafa is under no illusion about the difficulty of today’s match despite Valletta being 19 points clear of their impending oppo-nents.

“Birkirkara have a strong team. However, in football it’s not the size of the squad that counts but the results,” Zerafa said.

“They will be on a high after their win over Balzan Youths and they will be very motivated because they’re playing us. They need the points to make the top six but the game will be difficult for both teams.

“I’m always confident in my players. They have shown that, when the moment of truth comes, they rise to the occasion.”

Valletta underlined their resolve to remain ahead of the pack with the signing of highly-rated striker Aleksandr Cekulajevs.

The Latvian, scorer of 46 goals for Estonian side Trans Narva last season, is expected to make his debut today.

Italian defender Andrea Scoz-zese is also available but captain Gilbert Agius is doubtful.

The arrivals of Cekulajevs and Scozzese have increased Valletta’s foreign legion to 10 but Zerafa believes that greater competition for places is crucial to keep his players on their toes.

“After winning a championship, it’s vital that the players remain motivated,” Zerafa said.

“You need a big squad to ensure competition for places and the president has seen to that.”

Birkirkara’s top priority is to seal a top-six berth. After their morale-boosting 4-0 victory over Balzan, they will be viewing this match as an opportunity to lay down a marker and perhaps reignite their title challenge.

Keen to put the lid on any soaring expectations, Birkirkara coach Paul Zammit urged caution.

“We must strive to build on our showing against Balzan,” Zammit said.

“The performance and win mattered a lot for us moreso when considering Balzan’s progress this season but we must be realistic and keep our feet on the ground.

“Our objectives have been channelled... the immediate aim is to make sure of a place in the Championship Pool.”

Zammit insisted that Birkirkara must work to achieve continuity.

“At no time did I feel that the last result showed we’re heading one way or another,” Zammit said.

“The Balzan game is in the past and I’ve been urging my players not to dwell on it. If we fail to sustain the improvement, that win will be useless.

“In January, we applied some modifications to the team. We need more games to know whether we can challenge for Europe. Con-sistency is vital... all teams are ca-pable of winning a one-off game.

“We should also keep in mind that we’re playing Valletta, the strongest team in the league.

“It’s hard to play teams like that because they punish every mistake you make.

“But, it’s these type of matches that excite and motivate the players. Even Maltese football needs more games like this because of their intensity and the interest they create.”

Zammit must wait before deciding on his starting XI as Paul Fenech, Rodrigo Pereira and Shola Haruna have all been down with flu.

Midfielder Alan Tabone is out with calf trouble but Rowen Muscat has a slight chance of making the squad as he is still recovering from an ankle injury.

Serbian defender Nikola Vuka-nac has rejoined Birkirkara and is available for this match.

First round result: Valletta vs Birkirkara 2-1.

Relegation clash

Today’s opening match at the National Stadium is a direct clash between relegation strugglers Marsaxlokk and Tarxien.

Rooted to the bottom of the table with 11 points, Marsaxlokk must end their losing streak quickly if they are to revive their fading sur-vival hopes.

A win today would inch them closer to Tarxien and Ħamrun.

On the other hand, three points for the Rainbows would take them seven points clear of Marsaxlokk and two ahead of the Spartans who drew 1-1 with Sliema on Friday.

Tarxien coach Patrick Curmi is likely to have a full squad as striker Daniel Mariano Bueno is now fully fit and Steve Sadowski returns from suspension.

Marsaxlokk must make do with-out flank defender Modesto Vale-riani who is suspended.

First round result: Marsaxlokk vs Tarxien 4-2.