Floriana vs Msida St Joseph (tomorrow at 12.45 p.m., Hibs Ground)
Floriana and Msida St Joseph will be keen to collect more points in their bid to seal their place in the Championship Pool.
Fourth-placed Floriana are odds-on to reach their pre-season target of finishing in the top six as they have a comfortable 11-point lead over seventh-placed Marsaxlokk with six matches to go till the end of the first phase.
The morale in the Floriana camp is high after their impressive 3-0 win over Old Firm rivals Sliema last month. The Greens are still in search of a new coach following the sudden departure of Serbian mentor Zoran Popovic who returned to Belgrade for family reasons. Tomorrow, the team will be under the guidance of assistant coach Tony Alamango.
Alamango is expected to give the nod to young goalkeeper Glenn Zammit after Serbian Dejan Maksic left the club last month. The Greens also have a Brazilian forward on trial, 22-year-old Rodrigo Felix, but they are still awaiting his international clearance in order to complete his registration.
Aleksandar Madzar is poised to make way for Felix but the Montenegro forward is still on the books of Floriana and will be included in the squad for tomorrow's match.
Msida coach Joe Abdilla, who is still unbeaten since replacing Patrick Curmi last month, is hoping his players repeat their fine showing against Floriana in the first round when they cruised to a 4-1 win.
Abdilla will be without Brazilian powerhouse Andre Rocha Da Silva who has been banned for one match. Brazilian striker Pedros Calcado is available for selection despite rumours of interest from a Spanish club. His fellow countryman Marcos Aurelio is rated as doubtful due to a knee injury.
First round result - Msida St Joseph vs Floriana 4-1.
Birkirkara vs Qormi (tomorrow at 2.45 p.m., Hibs Ground)
Birkirkara will be looking to return to winning ways when they entertain lowly Qormi tomorrow. The Stripes dropped two points in their last outing after a 2-2 draw against Msida St Joseph.
The 2008 FA Trophy winners have strengthened their squad with the acquisition of two new Bulgarian players who impressed the club's coaching staff during a trial.
Ivailov Sokolov, a 24-year-old defender, will replace fellow countryman Emil Yantchev who left the club in October while striker Krasen Vulkov, 23, will fill the void left by Brazilian forward William Sander-Landim who has been released by the Stripes.
The two newcomers are expected to be in John Buttigieg's starting formation, provided their registration papers are filed at the MFA offices in time.
The Birkirkara coach is still without defender Lee Lombardi who is recovering from a hernia operation while Julian Holland is out with a one-match ban.
Qormi, who ended a five-match losing run with a 1-0 win over relegation rivals Tarxien Rainbows, will be doing their utmost to extend their positive streak and breathe life into their flagging Championship Pool hopes.
The Yellow-Blacks are expected to play a prominent role in this month's transfer activities in their bid to bolster the squad.
Alfred Effiong is still out with a fractured foot and the club will wait for the latest medical bulletin on his recovery before making a decision on whether to retain the Nigerian's services for the rest of the season.
Brazilian defender Ramon Dos Santos and striker Ivan Da Silva are both expected to keep their place in the squad till May.
For tomorrow's match, Qormi coach Jesmond Zerafa is boosted by the return to fitness of skipper Joseph Farrugia but Paul Camilleri and Carmel Formosa are still sidelined.
First round result - Qormi vs Birkirkara 0-1.