Pietà, Sliema jostle for top position in all-blue clash

Remarkable as it may seem, Pietà Hotspurs' principal objective going into their match with Sliema Wanderers, is to overcome the latter's challenge to dislodge them from second place in the Premier League.

Having taken the league by storm, the Hotspurs, spearheaded by coach Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia, start the day only one point adrift of leaders Birkirkara and one ahead of Sliema in third place.

On their part, champions Sliema have top spot in their sights even though theirs may be a short-lived tenure given that Birkirkara take on bottom team Hamrun Spartans on Monday.

Last Sunday, Sliema enjoyed a trouble-free afternoon at the National Stadium when beating the Spartans 3-0. By contrast, Pietà had to strain every sinew to weather Hibernians' second-half pressure on their way to a 2-1 victory.

"Every game is a tough test for us but that does not mean that we are fazed by the prospect of facing Sliema Wanderers," Farrugia told The Times.

"On paper, they have one of the best teams in the league and they will certainly be determined to win this game to end their first round commitments on a high. That said, our team have also shown great character in the last few games and I'm upbeat about our chances of extending our positive run."

Cleaven Frendo should regain his starting berth in the Pietà team after returning from international duty with the Malta U-19 team.

Ivan Woods is expected to play despite his nagging hamstring problem but Fransis Omam, the Hotspurs' Cameroon striker, is still missing through injury.

A meeting against one of his former clubs ought to strengthen Anatole Debono's resolve to continue his moment of grace. The midfielder-cum-striker is Pietà's leading scorer this season with five goals.

Apart from his side's quick return to winning form in their match against Hamrun, Sliema Wanderers coach Edward Aquilina is also boosted by the return of Stefan Giglio, who was suspended, and veteran Kris Laferla.

"Pietà are a very organised side and therefore, I'm expecting them to offer a stern challenge," Aquilina told The Times. "I was pleased about our winning performance last Sunday because it showed that our loss to Birkirkara was no tragedy."

Whereas Sliema and Pietà are aiming to consolidate their positions in the upper part of the standings, Floriana and Msida St Joseph have different priorities ahead of their direct clash this evening (6 p.m.).

Although the Greens' performances have been positive, their failure to make their superior possession count, has left them in the bottom half of the table. Msida's fortunes have also taken a downward turn after their infamous boardroom defeat to Pietà Hotspurs.

Floriana coach Ziya Yildiz has a full squad at his disposal. The Bosnian coach believes that his team are on the right track to bettering last year's performance.

"Every match is hard but my team's displays so far have been very encouraging," Yildiz said.

"The players have matured and we should have a more successful campaign than the last when we avoided the drop in the final stages. To achieve our goal, we must start to translate our superiority into goals because we have been dropping points in matches which could have easily been ours for the taking."

Msida drew 1-1 with fellow relegation strugglers Balzan Youths in their last match. Fabio Cauchi was sent off against the Youths and has been handed a one-match suspension. Defender Josef Mifsud also received the same sanction from the MFA Disciplinary Commissioner after collecting his fourth yellow card. Karl Vella Petroni is injured for the Saints.

Joe Grech, the Msida coach, said: "The match against Balzan could have gone either way. Our next assignment against Floriana is another crucial encounter. Floriana are a good team but if our tactical discipline is good, we can get something, especially if they have a bad day."

National Stadium

Today
6 p.m. Floriana vs Msida St Joseph
8 p.m. Sliema Wanderers vs Pietà Hotspurs

Sunday
3 p.m. Valletta vs Balzan Youths
5 p.m. Hibernians vs Marsaxlokk

Monday
7.30 p.m. Birkirkara vs Hamrun Spartans.

Statistic...

Sliema Wanderers' midfielder Rupert Mangion played his 250th match in Maltese football in the game against Birkirkara (0-1). This total includes matches from the Premier League, Division One and other international competitions. Mangion's debut was on April 19, 1992 for Hamrun Spartans in the league match against St Andrew's FC (5-0).