Hotspurs, Spartans look to break duck in derby

The opening day of the Premier League has left a rather sour taste for derby rivals Pietà Hotspurs and Hamrun Spartans. Despite producing a battling performance against title challengers Birkirkara and Valletta, both sides had to leave the National Stadium empty-handed.

This evening, the two neighbouring clubs will cross swords in the opening match of the day (kick-off 6 p.m.) with one goal in mind - the first points of the championship.

The Hotspurs made the bigger impression so far. Their match against Birkirkara was always going to be a tough proposition and when they headed into the tunnel for the half-time break trailing by two goals, few believed they could get back into the match.

Inspiration is never lacking with coach Ray Farrugia around, though and the revitalised Hotspurs sprung into action and drew level with two quick goals.

However, when everything pointed that Pietà had done enough to earn a point they were sunk by a last-gasp Michael Galea strike that condemned them to defeat.

Farrugia said it was harsh justice on his team to lose against Birkirkara. However, he conceded that when facing top opposition one cannot afford to perform for 45 minutes only.

"I was really upset at the way we lost that match," Farrugia said. "Our second half showing was exceptional. However, in the first half, the players made life difficult for themselves. Birkirkara are valid opponents. No-one can afford to give away 45 minutes against them.

"Hamrun are now next in line. They are a difficult side to play against as their match against Valletta has shown. The players should have learnt a lot after our first match. I'm confident of a good result but only if we show the same kind of spirit produced in the second half against Birkirkara... we should chalk up our first win."

Hamrun will certainly have something to say about that, though. There were very few changes in their squad this summer but Patrick Curmi's men still produced a solid performance against Valletta as the latter could only breach Ivan Casha's goal courtesy of a dubious penalty and a last-minute goal.

Against Pietà, Curmi will be facing one of his former clubs. He does not regret his time with the Hotspurs but today he is completely focused on his job at Hamrun and, like Farrugia, eyeing some points from this evening's match.

"We lost our match against Valletta but I think my players did well just the same," he said. "We shared the exchanges with our opponents for most of the time... I guess a draw would have been a fair result.

"The penalty decision which led to their first goal was harsh in my opinion, but that is part of the game. Our attention now is to start winning points. Pietà are a good side but I think we have enough talent at Hamrun to avoid another defeat."

Hamrun striker Gaetan Spiteri is still recovering from a knee injury but otherwise Curmi has a full complement at his disposal. Pietà, on their part, will be without Digger Okonkwo, suspended following his late dismissal against Birkirkara.

The other matches

Sliema W. vs Msida St Joseph (today, National Stadium - 8 p.m.).

Sliema Wanderers have a good chance to make up for their disappointing performance against Marsaxlokk last week when they clash against Msida St Joseph.

Sliema could only manage a 2-2 draw in a match they dominated for the opening 45 minutes. They seemed well in control after building a two-goal lead but complacency crept into their game and Marsaxlokk took their chances well to grab a point.

The champions are buoyed by the return from injury of Stefan Giglio. Goalkeeper Alex Camilleri could also be in line for his first appearance in the Sliema starting formation as coach Edward Aquilina looks to freshen up things after a hectic pre-season campaign.

Msida could turn out to be tricky opponents. On Sunday, they almost created the first upset of the season but squandered a 2-0 lead against Hibs who won 3-2, Cesar Paiber hitting two penalties for the Paolites.

Msida's Nigerian striker Aganun Oluschoal and Italian defender Manuel Boni are expected to make their league debuts after their registration papers were finalised this week.

Hibs vs Balzan Youths (Sunday, National Stadium - 5 p.m.).

Balzan Youths have found life difficult in the Premier League after a 5-1 beating by Floriana. The club lodged a protest but it was clear the team lacked quality against the more experienced Greens. On Sunday they have another stern test coming when facing Hibernians.

In midweek, Balzan parted company with goalkeeper Stojan Simeonov and signed Ernest Barry from Valletta.

Hibernians will be looking for a more convincing outing than the one which saw them scraping to a 3-2 win over modest Msida.

Coach Robert Gatt could be tempted to include Nigerian striker Udochukwu Nwoko from the start after a valid contribution last Sunday as a second-half substitute.

Birkirkara vs Marsaxlokk (Sunday, National Stadium - 7 p.m.).

Birkirkara face a real test on Sunday when they take on ambitious Marsaxlokk who seem adequately equipped to trouble the more quoted teams this season.

After a hard-earned 3-2 win over Pietà, coach Stephen Azzopardi will be hoping his team will not experience another late dip in form in the match. That almost cost the Stripes two points last Saturday.

Adrian Ciantar is poised to make his first start for Birkirkara after a second-half appearance in the previous match.

Marsaxlokk played a second-half blinder against Sliema. They will be eager to keep the momentum going against another title contender.

Coach Robert Kelly is set to field new foreigner Donatas Vencevicius, of Lithuania. He replaced Czech Petr Bartes earlier this week. Minabo Asechemie could also make his debut following his move from Marsa, provided his registration papers are filed in time.