The waiting is over. Almost four weeks since the powers that be at the Malta FA temporarily suspended the Premier League to address the ramifications of the two match-fixing cases involving Vittoriosa Stars and Marsaxlokk, the top-flight campaign resumes this evening with an intriguing encounter between Valletta and Sliema Wanderers at the National Stadium (kick-off: 7.30).

Valletta have enjoyed a blistering start to the season, following up their opening-day 3-1 victory over Birkirkara with a 6-0 thrashing of neighbouring rivals Floriana.

The Citizens' eye-catching performances last month delighted their fans but the four-week hiatus from Premier League football has led to concerns about the negative effect it may have on the team's early-season momentum.

Ton Caanen, Valletta's Dutch coach, is not unduly worried.

"I'm not concerned (about the break)," Caanen replied.

"When you find a good rhythm, you want to play every week but I don't think the break will make much of a difference. These are still early days and at Valletta, we finished our pre-season training programme after the Floriana match."

Caanen is aware that Sliema are regarded as one of the strongest teams in the league but he insisted that his team's approach for this game will not differ from the norm.

"All games are important," Caanen said. "I prefer to concentrate on the strengths of my squad. I respect my opponents but for me, a game against Sliema is nothing special. We will stick to our usual approach."

Caanen has no selection worries.

Cleaven Frendo is still working on fitness following his cruciate operation earlier this year but the Valletta coach expects the Malta winger to make his comeback next month.

Valletta were ecstatic after their emphatic win over Floriana but Caanen is adamant that his players will not get carried away by the euphoria surrounding their derby success.

"After the Floriana game, I told my players that the break would serve them well so they don't start to fly," Caanen said.

"My wish was granted as the break turned out to be longer than I expected. My coaching style is such that the players are left in doubt that there is no room for over-confidence.

"It's normal for players to feel good after a deserving victory but for me, the Floriana game only showed that we're on the right track."

If Valletta have fond memories of their last outing, not so can be said of Sliema Wanderers who were on the receiving end of a surprise 1-0 defeat to Qormi.

The Blues had launched their league trek with a 3-0 dismissal of Vittoriosa Stars but this result has been declared null after the latter's demotion to Division One.

This means that Sliema have yet to get off the mark this season and coach Stephen Azzopardi will urge his charges to make a bold statement of intent by taking their first three points at the expense of the much-vaunted Citizens.

Steve Abela, the Sliema president, described today's match as a "big challenge".

"After losing to Qormi, it's important that our team make amends with a good performance against Valletta," Abela told The Times.

"A bold showing and a positive result will go some way towards enhancing the players' confidence."

Abela played down talk that today's match could give either team a psychological edge in the title race.

"I don't think the result will provide an indication about the title chances of a team vis-à-vis the other," Abela said.

"We have already met Valletta in the Euro Challenge Cup but the result has no relevance (Sliema won 2-0) because the match was played in pre-season and many things can change. It's still too early to talk about decisive matches."

Sliema are at full strength today.

Ivan Woods has recovered from the injury he suffered in the 3-0 defeat of Vittoriosa.

The Sliema coach may also give a debut to Nigerian striker Henry Isaac who joined the Wanderers earlier this month after rescinding his contract with Vittoriosa.

National training issue

The build-up to today's fixture has been punctuated by reports about the drive of Valletta and Sliema to prompt the Malta FA to revamp the training scheme for national team players.

At his unveiling as Valletta coach last June, Caanen wasted no time in voicing his reservations about the existing policy whereby members of the national squad report for training with the national coach for the first three days of the week.

"This is nothing new," Caanen said.

"I spoke about the national squad's training scheme in June and my position has not changed. I've had a couple of meetings with the national coach about this issue and last week I spoke with the MFA president, Dr Mifsud.

"When I came here, I made it clear that I wanted to work to help Maltese football improve but to do that, we have to take the league more seriously. I showed the MFA president what we have already achieved at Valletta this season.

"If, in the past, there were concerns about the level of coaching at clubs and the facilities, this is no longer the case.

"The matter will be discussed again after the Portugal game and the president (Victor Sciriha) has told me that that the MFA have promised to make changes after that.

"I'm glad that my efforts have opened the ears and eyes of important people in Maltese football but I'm not doing this for myself. I'm speaking out to help Valletta and the other clubs because the likes of Birkirkara, Sliema and Hibs will also benefit from this."

Caanen is clearly intent on raising the profile of the domestic championship.

"It's a matter of priorities," Caanen added. "You have to ask yourself what is the most important thing for the players and the fans at present, the eagerly-awaited match between Valletta and Sliema on Friday or Malta's game against Portugal in three weeks' time?

"I honestly think we should all focus on the next league fixtures before we start to think about Portugal. Once the players have done their jobs for their clubs, I'm sure that they will join the national squad with full commitment."

The national squad's training scheme issue was also raised by Abela, the Sliema president, during a news conference last weekend.

"It's public knowledge that our planned meeting with the national coaches didn't take place," Abela said.

"As I've already said, John Buttigieg and Carmel Busuttil insisted on speaking to our coach only. They were reluctant to talk to me despite having informed the MFA that I was going to be present. We walked out of the meeting as I felt offended by their stance.

"Since then, I had a short meeting with the MFA president on this subject (national team's training) and we agreed that, after the qualifier against Portugal, we shall sit down to try and find a solution that suits all parties."

Programme (National Stadium)

Today: 7.30 p.m. Sliema Wanderers vs Valletta.

Tomorrow: 4 p.m. Msida St Joseph vs Qormi; 6 p.m. Birkirkara vs Ħamrun Spartans.

Sunday: 4 p.m. Floriana vs Tarxien Rainbows; 6 p.m. Hibs vs Dingli Swallows.