Hibernians’ title celebrations will reach a crescendo this evening when the Paolites will be officially crowned as the new kings of Maltese football.

After sealing their 11th championship with three games to spare, Hibernians have taken their foot off the accelerator, dropping four points in their last two outings, but come four o’clock today, the champions are widely expected to rediscover their sparkle as they look to conclude an extraordinary season in winning style.

Standing in their way will be Valletta who, having been dethroned by Hibernians, will be relishing the prospect of putting a damper on their rivals’ title party at the National Stadium.

Branko Nisevic, who has masterminded Hibernians’ march to their first league crown in six years, is urging his team to end their successful league campaign with a bang.

“We certainly want to leave a very good impression in our last league match,” Nisevic told Times of Malta.

“It has been a very positive season for us and we certainly don’t want to spoil it at the end.

“There will be a celebratory mood at the stadium, and rightly so after putting in so much effort to achieve this success, but we also have to think about what comes after this match.”

Nisevic was alluding to the FA Trophy as Hibernians have reached the semi-finals of this competition along with Valletta, last year’s winners, Birkirkara and Qormi.

Given that only pride is at stake for runners-up Valletta, Nisevic believes that today’s clash will not have the same edge and intensity that defined their last meeting in December, but the Serbian coach is nevertheless expecting a competitive encounter.

“There’s always a bit of rivalry between the two teams,” Nisevic said. “I don’t think the match will have the same edge as our last encounter in December but it will still be a competitive affair.”

When these two heavyweights locked horns on December 14, controversy blighted a high-tension encounter with Valletta losing 3-1 after having Jonathan Caruana and Ryan Fenech sent off in the first half.

That victory was a turning point as Hibernians went from strength to strength, leaving their rivals in their slipstream.

Since completing their title mission with a 3-1 victory over Floriana last month, Hibernians have not shown the same guile and ruthlessness that marked their triumph but Nisevic is not concerned.

“The concentration levels have dropped a bit after winning the league so early,” he said.

“There was a lot of pressure on the players throughout the season and once we reached our objective, things went down a little bit.

“That said, we played Birkirkara in our last outing and it was a very hard match.

“Let’s not forget that the previous two games against Birkirkara were also difficult for us.

“We beat them 1-0 in October and, in the second-round match, we scored a very late equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

“Birkirkara have been our toughest opponents this season.”

Before their goalless draw with Birkirkara, Hibs had surrendered their unbeaten record after going down to Balzan but, these minor upsets aside, the Paolites have had an outstanding campaign.

Nisevic, who has yet to agree an extension to his contract which runs out at the end of this month, heaped praise on his players.

“At the end of the game against Balzan, the players were down as we had lost our unbeaten record,” Nisevic said.

“It was a minor setback but I told my players that we have more reasons to be proud of ourselves because we have had an excellent season.

“We have played at a high level in every match, setting new records along the way.”

Striker Jean Paul Farrugia is set to miss out today due to a knee problem. Defender Jonathan Pearson has also been nursing a minor injury but has a good chance of making the squad.

On the plus side, goalkeeper Henry Bonello is back after suspension kept him out of the draw against Birkirkara. Defender Rui De Gracia Gomes is also available after completing his three-match ban.

Borg to have surgery

For their part, Valletta have suffered a significant blow with the news that defender Steve Borg is out for the rest of the season as he needs knee surgery.

There has also been a lot of speculation about Ryan Fenech’s position after he rejected the club’s offer to sign a new deal.

This week, reports claimed that the Malta midfielder may not feature for Valletta again this season but coach Ivan Zammit yesterday scotched such rumours, saying that Fenech is still the team captain who deserves respect for what he has achieved with the club in the past five years.

Previous results: Hibernians vs Valletta 2-1, 3-1.