After all the enthusiasm generated by the national team’s bright showings in their opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Spain, Maltese football fans are bracing themselves for more emotions as the BOV Premier League will again take centre stage this weekend.

With only five matches to go, the title race has entered its decisive stage with champions Valletta firmly in the driving as they are currently enjoying a two-point lead over nearest rivals Hibernians.

Gżira United are firmly in command to finish third as they have a four-point advantage over Sliema Wanderers.

Ħamrun Spartans, Birkirkara and Balzan are just behind the Blues as they battle for fourth spot which could also yield a berth in the Europa League, should the FA Trophy is won by one of the top three sides at the end of the Premier League.

This weekend’s programme provides a major fixture in the local football scene when Valletta take on neighbouring rivals Floriana in a highly-anticipated derby that could have a huge bearing on the Citizens’ ambitions of successfully defending their league crown.

Danilo Doncic admitted that derbies against Floriana are always must-win matches for a club like Valletta but Sunday’s clash has an even bigger weight as their status of Malta champions is on the line.

“This is a massive match for us,” Doncic told the Times of Malta.

“Obviously, matches against Floriana always have a huge significance for us but this time it has even more importance as it can have a huge effect on our aspirations to retain our league crown.

“There are only five matches to go and if we win them all, there is nothing our rivals can do to stop us from winning the Premier League for a second successive season.

“There are some difficult tests coming up as after Floriana we also face Gżira United so we need to stay focused and ensure that we complete the job.”

During the recent international break, Doncic was keeping his fingers crossed that none of his international players suffered any serious physical damage.

Doncic said that he still has to assess the condition of Jonathan Caruana, who limped out injured during the 2-0 defeat to Spain, and Rowen Muscat before deciding whether they can be available on Sunday.

Added to that he is already without Italian forward Matteo Piciollo who is ruled out of the match with a hamstring injury.

There are only five matches to go and if we win them all, there is nothing our rivals can do to stop us from winning the Premier League for a second successive season

The Serbian coach said that he was proud of the performance of all his international players and hopes they can carry on that momentum to their final five matches.

“I was proud of all the players that played for their national team in the last 10 days as they were excellent representatives of our club,” Doncic said.

“My hope is that they carry that good form into our upcoming league matches, starting against Floriana on Sunday.

Derbies are always 50-50 matches but one big advantage is that all players in our squad have vast experience in these kind of situations so they know what is expected of them.

“The derby against Floriana is the first of five finals and hopefully the fans will be behind us to help the team get the win that will put us a step closer to the title.”

Disappointing season

While Valletta are battling for the title crown, Floriana are coming from a rather disappointing season which saw them getting embroiled in a relegation scrap rather than challenging for a place in Europe.

Still picking up seven points from their last three matches before the international break helped the Greens to move to safer waters in the standings.

Coach Ugo Ugolotti said that his team may have had a poor campaign by their standards but certainly a win over Valletta could somewhat make up for their disappointments this season.

“I know that derbies are very important given the great rivalry that exists between Valletta and Floriana,” Ugolotti said.

“Our league campaign has not been very positive with some players not performing to the levels expected by the club administration. Hopefully all the players step up their performance levels in these final weeks of the season so we can finish on the right note.

“This derby is an opportunity for us to put our conscience at peace as if we had to beat Valletta it would be a prestigious result against one of the leading candidates for the league title.

“I’m encouraged by the fact that before the international break the team had developed into a very solid outfit that conceded very little albeit we continued to struggle to score goals.

“It’s important that we continue where we left off as we still have to get mathematical certainty on our Premier League status.

“We need to collect as many points as possible and hopefully the team can extend their positive streak against Valletta.”

Ugolotti has no selection problems and can field his strongest team on Sunday.

First round result: Valletta vs Floriana 1-0.

Programme

Today
National Stadium: 7pm Ħamrun Spartans vs Qormi.

Tomorrow
Hibs Stadium: 2pm Tarxien Rainbows vs Senglea Athletic; 4pm St Andrews vs Balzan.
Tedesco Stadium: 2pm Gżira vs Pietà; 4.15pm Hibernians vs Mosta.

Sunday
National Stadium: 2pm Sliema Wanderers vs Birkirkara; 4pm Floriana vs Valletta.