Michael Mifsud will finally get the chance to let his feet do the talking after a somewhat tumultuous two-week period in which the newly-signed Valletta striker was regularly in the limelight despite not kicking a ball.

Just three days after receiving a hero's welcome from the Valletta fans at his unveiling, Mifsud was subjected to unsavoury taunts and banners from Sliema supporters upset by the Malta striker's decision to turn down the offer of his former club in favour of a move to the Citizens.

Anger gave way to delight for the Sliema faithful as their team kept their slim title hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Valletta last weekend. With Birkirkara taking maximum points from their encounter with Hibs, Valletta's slip-up to Sliema left them three points adrift of the Stripes at the top, in the process heaping more pressure on the Citizens to get back to winning ways in their match against Qormi this afternoon (kick-off 4 p.m.).

Ton Caanen, the Valletta coach, bemoaned the manner of his team's first goal against Sliema but brushed off claims that the Citizens had been outsmarted by the Wanderers.

"We have seen the DVD of our match against Sliema and the only moment in the game which we were really disappointed about was when we conceded the first goal from a corner," Caanen told The Times.

"Until the final 10 minutes, when we opened up a bit, Sliema didn't create one good scoring chance. I agree that it was not our best game but we didn't deserve to lose. It was not our day and luck didn't help us.

"This defeat has increased our hunger to win the next match. We approach every game with a big desire to win but after our defeat to Sliema and Birkirkara's victory over Hibs, and knowing that Qormi are only five points behind us, there are clearly more reasons for us to push harder for the three points."

With optimism in short supply in the City camp, their fans are hoping that a sparkling debut by Mifsud, whose move to Valletta was approved by the Malta FA Executive Committee last Monday, will put their team back on track ahead of their eagerly-awaited encounter with Birkirkara.

Caanen has high hopes that Mifsud will make an instant impact.

"Michael Mifsud will give us a boost," Caanen said.

"Some have asked me if Valletta really need Michael Mifsud and my answer is yes. I expect Michael to have the same positive impact on our team as David Beckham had on Milan.

"Michael looks like a happy kid in training, he's so eager to play. His confidence is high and he's unbelievably focused, he can't wait to get on the pitch. People in Malta should show Michael Mifsud more respect, regardless of whether they agree with his decisions or not.

"Mifsud has put Malta on the football map and he deserves more respect for that."

The heat is on for Valletta after their upset to Sliema but Caanen says big teams thrive on pressure.

"Birkirkara are three points ahead and we play them in the league after Qormi," Caanen said.

"These are all massive games but I wouldn't have it any other way. We're in this business exactly for this, to be involved in the big games and to challenge for trophies.

"If we beat Qormi, we will raise our morale for the game against Birkirkara but there is also the Anniversary Cup semi-final (against Tarxien on Wednesday) in between. We have to take it game by game."

Valletta boast a perfect record against Qormi this season but Caanen is not taking his opposition lightly.

"There are no easy teams in the Championship Pool," Caanen, who must cope without suspended defender Kenneth Scicluna today, said. "Apart from Birkirkara, all the other teams have dropped points in the second phase. You must respect your opponents and make sure that you approach every game with the right mentality."

Amid talk of a revival of Sliema's title bid, few, if anyone, alluded to the fact that Qormi may also crawl back into the title race after their 2-0 win over Tarxien kept them in third place, level with the Wandererers on 21 points.

"This will be another difficult match for us against a Valletta team who will be hellbent on making amends for their defeat to Sliema," Qormi coach Jesmond Zerafa said.

"We're going into this game in a relaxed frame of mind because we have nothing to lose, the pressure is on Valletta. I'm confident that if we stay calm and focused, we will have a better chance of taking something from this match."

Defender Roderick Sammut is out, suspended, but otherwise Zerafa can bank on a full squad.

Zerafa believes that the prospect of taking on the most glamorous team in Malta is a driving force for the Qormi players.

"We are challenging for a place in European competitions and a good result against Valletta will help our bid," Zerafa said.

"This game is a showcase for our players because they will be up against the strongest team. It's easy for players to motivate themselves for big games, even if their task will not be easy.

"Our first priority is to give a good performance as this would improve our prospects of getting a positive result."

Like Sliema, Qormi can still play a key role in the title race but Zerafa insisted that Europe represents their main target.

"Winning the league is very difficult and the more-quoted sides are also finding the going tough in the title race," Zerafa said.

"We have attained our no.1 objective which was to play in the Championship Pool but now we have set our sights on qualifying for Europe."

Results so far: Valletta vs Qormi 2-0, 1-0.