Birkirkara will wrap up their 2019 commitments with their final BOV Women’s League game of the year against Kirkop today.
The Stripes will be looking to conclude the year with another win while retaining their top status in the women’s championship as they look to make it four titles in a row.
The Kirkop encounter comes just days after their comfortable 5-0 victory over Mġarr United which earned them their fifth Super Cup of their history.
Coach Melania Bajada is hopeful that the Super Cup success will be a source of motivation for her Birkirkara players to maintain their hunger for silverware.
“The Super Cup game is always a different animal because it is a one-off game,” Bajada told the Times of Malta.
“However, this success gives us a lot of motivation to remain hungry for titles while giving us an inject of belief in our abilities.
“We want to thrive in every competition we play in so that we can remain a dominant team.
On the other hand, though, I cannot take anything away from Mġarr United because this could have been just an off day for them and we are aware of the type of challenge they can provide.”
One of the Stripes’ protagonists in the game was youngster Kailey Willis, who described the Super Cup success as a certificate of her team’s strength.
“We managed to step up our game in the final stages against Mġarr, showing how clinical we are,” Willis explained.
“In the opening part of the game we missed a lot of chances, therefore the scoreline could have been larger – but nonetheless, this game proved our strength.”
For the game against Kirkop, coach Bajada will be once again banking on star striker Loza Abera who, with her hat-trick against the Greens, has reached the 20-goal mark.
Elsewhere, second-place Mġarr United host Mosta while Swieqi United, who are in third, take on bottom side Hibernians.
KO draw
Birkirkara will start their domestic cup defence with a semi-final clash against either Raiders Għargħur or Mosta following the draw of the Women’s Knock-Out.
Last season, the Stripes claimed a record 15th KO title after defeating Mġarr United in the final.
The Greens will start their cup quest in the quarter-finals against Kirkop. Should they qualify, they would set up a last four clash with either Swieqi or Hibernians.
NEXT FIXTURES
PLAYING TODAY
Mosta Ground: 20.15, Swieqi United vs Hibernians.
Dingli Ground: 20.15, Birkirkara vs Kirkop United.
Mġarr Ground: 20.15, Mġarr vs Mosta.
MD9 bye: Raiders Għargħur.
CURRENT STANDINGS:
- Birkirkara (7 games played) 19.
- Mġarr United (7) 16.
- Swieqi United (6) 13.
- Kirkop United (6) 6.
- Raiders Għargħur (7) 5.
- Mosta (4) 2.
- Hibernians (7) 1.