Valletta thought they had seen the back of Hibs after the Paolites descended into the Relegation Pool in this season’s Premier League but fate decreed otherwise.
The Citizens must overcome Hibs to stay on course to defend the U*Bet FA Trophy after yesterday’s quarter-final draw pitted the two rivals against each other.
The other stand-out tie sees Birkirkara take on Sliema.
Qormi, the first name out of the bowl at yesterday’s draw, will face Floriana while the remaining match is between Tarxien Rainbows and Vittoriosa Stars.
While Hibs, Tarxien, Vittoriosa and Floriana booked their place in the last eight after winning their second round matches, Valletta, Birkirkara, Sliema and Qormi enter the fray at the quarter-final stage on the back of their top-four finish in the league last season.
Of the four teams who qualified to the last eight on their own merit, Vittoriosa pulled off the most eye-catching result of the previous round after they overwhelmed Marsaxlokk 3-0.
Bottom of the league and seemingly headed for relegation, Vittoriosa must be looking at the FA Trophy as a chance to make amends for their disappointing results in the championship.
On the other side of the fence, Tarxien will have been pleased with the outcome of the draw as a clash with Vittoriosa gives them a very good chance of progressing to the semi-finals.
After crawling into the last eight with a 3-2 win over St Andrew’s, the Paolites will be relishing the prospect of breaking Valletta’s hold on the FA Trophy but the latter will also be determined to capture their 13th KO success.
Top of the league with a seven-point advantage, Valletta are expected to go all out to retain the trophy in their quest to make a clean sweep of the major honours this season.
Qormi will be bidding to emulate their fairytale run to the FA Trophy final last season, where they lost 2-1 to Valletta, but Floriana have also set their sights on success to add to their 18 KO triumphs.
Having fallen nine points off the title pace in the league, four-time winners Birkirkara will probably view the FA Trophy as their best chance of silverware this season.
Yet, Birkirkara’s task promises to be anything but easy as Sliema, who have won the Trophy a record 20 times, have shown signs of improvement since Danilo Doncic took charge of the team.
Like Hibs and Qormi, the Blues are also gunning for KO glory to assuage the disappointment caused by their failure to qualify for the Championship Pool.
At yesterday’s draw, Bjorn Vassallo, the MFA CEO, spoke enthusiastically about the FA Trophy.
“The U*Bet FA Trophy has reached a very exciting phase as the so-called big guns join the fray at the quarter-final stage,” Vassallo said.
“The KO generates great enthusiasm among local fans and attendance figures show that the competition enjoys a huge following.”
Vassallo reaffirmed his belief that the introduction of an FA Cup-style format for next season’s FA Trophy will increase interest in the KO as the element of surprise will be enriched.
The MFA CEO said that they have explained the FA Trophy’s new format to representatives of Maltco, the sponsors of the U*Bet FA Trophy, as the two parties are currently in talks to extend the sponsorship deal which expires at the end of this season.
“We want to give an added value to Maltco and the fans,” Vassallo said. “In our discussions over a new contract, we’re striving to ensure that our partnership puts both parties in a win-win situation.”
Mario Cassar, managing director of Maltco Lotteries, echoed Vassallo’s positive comments about the relationship between his company and the Malta FA. “Our recent discussions reflect this mutual belief that together we can embark on new projects,” Cassar said.
U*Bet FA Trophy
Quarter-finals
March 19 (National Stadium)
2 p.m. Sliema W. vs Birkirkara
4 p.m. Valletta vs Hibs
March 20 (National Stadium)
2 p.m. Tarxien R. vs Vittoriosa S.
4 p.m. Qormi vs Floriana
Div. Two/Three KO semi-finals (May 14/15): Żejtun Corinthians vs Naxxar Lions; Sta Venera Lightnings vs Rabat Ajax.