Hibernians could go top of the Premier League standings if they beat bottom-placed Msida St Joseph at the Tedesco Stadium this evening.
The Malta champions are currently three points adrift of joint-leaders Valletta and Qormi and will go level on points alongside the early pacesetters with victory over an Msida side still in search of their first win after five outings.
The Paolites come into the match in high spirits following the 1-0 win over Valletta a fortnight ago and coach Mark Miller will be eyeing another three points to mount a strong title defence.
Today, Miller will be forced to leave the team's reins in the hands of assistant Edmond Lufi as he serves the first of a four-match ban following his dismissal against Valletta.
Hibs are sure to be without Bulgarian midfielder Rumen Galabov, also suspended, while Andrew Cohen, Jonathan Caruana and Ben Camilleri are still recovering from injuries.
Msida are coming into this match on the back of two defeats. They lost their direct bottom-of-the-table clash with Ħamrun Spartans a fortnight ago and last Saturday they were humbled by Division One side Balzan Youths 5-0 in the first round of the FA Trophy.
Mark Marlow must have had a tough time trying to lift his players' spirits after the upsets of late.
The Msida coach is sweating on the fitness of two key players, defender Tyrone Farrugia and Zoran Levnaic, who skipped the Balzan match with knee trouble.
The other match this evening is a direct clash between two teams in the lower rungs of the standings as Ħamrun Spartans take on Dingli Swallows.
The Spartans had Angola-born striker Joao Mawete making a positive debut on Saturday in a 3-0 FA Trophy win over St George's.
This evening Mawete is expected to figure in a partnership up front with Marcelo Perreira who returns after a two-match ban.
Johnny Debattista is out with a long-term injury but on the plus side Evano Briffa has now started jogging as his rehabilitation from a cruciate operation gathers pace.
Dingli, who battled their way past Vittoriosa Stars in the FA Trophy, are concerned with the fitness of Nigerian striker Joseph Okonkwo who suffered a muscle strain last weekend but Brazilian midfielder Andre Rocha Da Silva is expected to be declared fit for the match.
Today's programme
Tedesco Stadium: 18.00 Msida vs Hibernians; 20.00 Ħamrun vs Dingli.
Anniversary Cup
Last night the Malta FA announced that the Anniversary Cup first round match between Valletta and Gozo FC, scheduled for next Monday at the Centenary Stadium, has been postponed to a later date.
The MFA took this decision after it accepted a request by Valletta FC to postpone the match as the Citizens will have a number of players who will be on duty with the Malta U-21 ahead of next week's Group 8 qualifier away to Slovenia.