It's either Valletta or Birkirkara but Marsaxlokk can also influence the destination of the Euro Challenge Cup.

The Blues are out of contention for the trophy after their 1-0 defeat to Birkirkara on Wednesday but a draw or victory for them in today's final match against Valletta at the Centenary Stadium (8 p.m.) would hand the first honour of the 2008-09 domestic season to the Stripes.

On the other side of the coin, champions Valletta need to win by two goals or more to secure the cup outright as Birkirkara currently top the three-team classification with four points and a goal difference of plus one vis-a-vis the Citizens. The latter have one point after their 1-1 draw with the Stripes in Monday's opener.

If Valletta and Birkirkara finish level on points and with the same goal difference, the luck of the draw will decide the winner. Valletta last won this competition in 2000 when it was known as the Lowenbrau Cup while Birkirkara's most recent success goes back to 2003.

The prospect of landing the first accolade of the new season is a tempting one for all teams involved but Paul Zammit and Brian Talbot, the coaches of Valletta and Marsaxlokk respectively, are more concerned about using these matches to pep up their teams' sharpness.

"My main priority for this tournament has always been to boost the team's preparations for the Champions League matches and the season as a whole," Zammit said.

"Although it's always nice to win an honour, I honestly don't see this tournament as a must-win competition. I think this tournament should not be regarded as an official competition as it is meant to help teams prepare for their European matches. Teams should be allowed to make use of any players they may have on trial and more substitutions during matches.

"I have to say that the Malta FA deserve immense credit for introducing these warm-up games for teams competing in Europe but I believe that the regulations should be revised to reflect better the objectives of the tournament."

Valletta have been at the centre of the first controversy of the new season after it emerged that Luke Dimech, their newly-signed defender, had been ineligible to play in Monday's curtain-raiser because his registration papers had not yet been filed at the Malta FA offices.

Birkirkara lodged a protest over Dimech's case but they later withdrew it as a sign of "good faith", their chairman Victor Zammit said in a statement.

Birkirkara's decision to drop their protest was not the only good news for the City clan yesterday. Cameroon forward Priso Doding yesterday agreed to join Valletta on a four-year contract after the latter successfully concluded talks with Msida St Joseph for his transfer.

Doding, who can play as a striker or on the wing, is expected to be in Valletta's squad today, provided the club complete his registration with the Malta FA by 7 p.m.

Nevertheless, Zammit is unlikely to make significant changes from his team selection for Monday's match against Birkirkara. Defender Kenneth Scicluna is still out of the frame as he is recovering from a minor injury.

Casting his mind back to the 1-1 draw against Birkirkara, Zammit declared himself satisfied with the team's performance.

"Keeping in mind that the season has just started, I was quite pleased with the team's performance on Monday," Zammit said. "There were a lot of positives to be taken from that game but also some negatives which we have already begun to address in training.

"Our display on Monday confirmed my belief that with this group of players plus two top-level foreigners, we can attain our aim of challenging for the top honours this season."

Zammit's ambition is shared by Talbot but with Marsaxlokk having just kicked off their pre-season training, the English mentor is not looking too far ahead.

"The tournament is finished for us in terms of winning it because we are out of the race but the most important thing for us at this stage is to prepare for the UEFA Cup matches," Talbot told The Times.

"Valletta will surely take this game seriously because they have a chance to win this tournament but for me, the team performance is more important than the result."

Talbot only included two of his new recruits in Wednesday's starting line-up, namely goalkeeper Saviour Darmanin and striker Marcelo Pereira. Midfielder Christian Cassar came on in the second half but Brian Said, the experienced Malta defender, played no part.

Talbot explained that Said was not called upon last Wednesday because he has barely had three training sessions in all so far this season. Renato Conceicao and Malcolm Licari are doubtful today due to slight injuries.

Talbot echoed Zammit's words about the need to change the Euro Challenge Cup regulations. "The rules of this tournament should be looked at in the future," Talbot said. "Teams should be allowed to field players on trial in these matches and the number of substitutions should also be increased."