The race for the Premier League crown is set for a dramatic finale as leaders Valletta will be looking to reconfirm their status of Malta champions when they face old rivals Ħamrun Spartans at the National Stadium (kick-off: 4pm).
However, their task of sealing the title will be far from straight forward as they face a Ħamrun side who are keen to secure fourth place in the standings that would keep them in the running of ending a 25-year wait of European football this summer, provided Birkirkara don’t win the FA Trophy.
The Citizens enjoy a two-point lead over rivals Hibernians and head into Saturday’s decisive match in rude health, after dismissing St Andrews 4-0 and then edging past Tarxien Rainbows in their last two outings.
For the Valletta, fans winning the title will have a bigger meaning as it would see the club match the tally of league crowns of their fierce rivals Floriana and stay just one short of the all-time record of 26 held by Sliema.
“I don’t know if my experience as a player helps my team or not, but when you are guiding a group of players that knows how to win trophies, the group can handle such pressure with more ease,” Valletta coach Agius told the Times of Malta.
“I feel lucky to have the opportunity to be working with a fantastic group of players that have a winning mentality and we can surely bank on that in order to complete our job.
“Such belief gives us a competitive edge over other teams because there is a huge difference between players who have never won and are hungry to win, and players who have already won in their careers and know what it takes to claim such prizes.”
Valletta’s season has gone through a lot of twists and turns from the start of the season but the Citizens have still managed to go through all adversity and fend off the tricky challenges posed by both Hibernians and Gżira United.
Agius is now hopeful his players can provide one last push to secure yet another honour to the club’s trophy cabinet.
“Since taking over the club, we adopted a game-by-game approach and so far we have won both matches,” Agius said.
“Obviously, the game against Ħamrun is very important in terms of club history and our rivalry with our opponents. But I’m calm as Valletta players always rise to big occasions.”
Europe calling
For the Spartans today’s match is arguably the biggest fixture they faced in recent years. A win over the old-rivals could potentially cost Valletta the title which surely would delight the ardent Spartans fans.
After some difficult times, which saw the club slip down to Division Two football a few years back, seeing the team fighting fo a European berth is certainly a remarkable achievement for the club’s administrators.
“We know that we face a very tough match against a Valletta team who are used to such appointments,” coach Giovanni Tedesco said.
“But the stakes are high for both teams and we are going out to take all three points.
“Ħamrun is looking to play in Europe after 25 years and I think that is not an objective that should be underestimated because we are hungry to reach that target.
“After a difficult campaign last year, the club kept only two players in Karl Micallef and Triston Caruana and I think we made a huge leap of quality in transforming this side into a really competitive one.”
In the first round, Ħamrun upset Valletta with a 1-0 win that galvanised the environment.
“This time around, the pressure is different on both teams but Tedesco feels that the game will be more open, giving more chances to his side to repeat that performance.
“Undoubtedly, it will be a different game because the pressure is bigger now on both of us,” the former Floriana and Birkirkara coach said.
“However, the game has the potential to be a very open one because a draw may not be enough for either side and in the process, it could be a good promotion for Maltese football as well.”