Hibs and Qormi enjoyed contrasting fortunes in this season’s Premier League but their championship record will count for nothing this evening when the two teams contest the final of the U*Bet FA Trophy at the National Stadium (kick-off 6 p.m.).
Before the semi-finals, all the talk was on the enthralling prospect of another showdown between rivals Valletta and Hibs but while the latter lived up to their billing by reaching the final at the expense of Ħamrun Spartans, the much-vaunted champions flopped as they came crashing down to earth with a 4-3 defeat to Qormi.
Hibs are chasing their ninth KO triumph and stand-in coach Richard Mercieca hopes to conclude his two-match tenure on a flying note.
“It’s definitely a great oppor-tunity,” Mercieca told The Sun-day Times.
“We’re looking forward to the final. The players are very motivated and the atmosphere in the squad is really good.
“Our win in the semi-final against Ħamrun Spartans was a morale-booster. There’s no rea-son why we shouldn’t be confi-dent of winning the final because we have an experienced squad with strong Maltese players and good foreigners.”
The return from suspension of Clayton Failla and Luis Edison ‘Tarabai’ means that Mercieca can rely on a full squad.
Brazilian forward Marcelo Dias is expected to be in the Hibs squad after making rapid progress in his recovery from an ankle injury.
Mercieca is aware that Hibs, on paper at least, look to have a slight edge over Qormi who finished five places below them in the league but insisted that there are no favourites in KO clashes.
“We had a better league campaign than Qormi but let’s not forget that this is a cup tie, so it’s 50-50,” Mercieca said.
“It will come down to who produces the better perfor-mance on the day.
“Qormi deserve great respect, moreso after their excellent win in the semi-final. We’re certainly not underestimating our opponents but we’re the more experienced side and we should make that count.”
With Failla back in the fray, Mercieca could opt to revert Jason Lee Vandelannoite – deployed in central midfield against Ħamrun – to a defensive role alongside Rodolfo Soares.
A Hibs success in today’s final would cap an extraordinary three weeks for Mercieca who, along with Ndubisi Chukunyere, was asked to lead the team in the FA Trophy following the departure of Mark Miller earlier this month.
“When, 15 days ago, the club committee gave us the job, the first thing Chukunyere and I did was to hold a players’ meeting,” Mercieca said.
“Our main priority was to en-sure that the players remained focused and motivated. The club had just lost a very good coach, we knew that, but we told the players that we had to move on.
“I’m very pleased with their response. The atmosphere in training was good and we essentially tried to build on Mark Miller’s work.”
Morale-booster
It is a measure of Qormi’s re-markable resurgence in recent months that they’ve become only the second team, after Hibs, to inflict a defeat on Valletta and the first to score four against them this season.
And the scintillating fashion of their victory not only makes them worthy finalists but will also have reinforced the Qormi players’ confidence and resolve to re-write club history by winning the FA Trophy for the first time.
“There is great enthusiasm in the Qormi camp,” Stephen Azzopardi, the Qormi coach, said.
“When you compare the present situation with that of three or four months ago, there is a huge difference.
“The mood has changed as we’re in the Trophy final and the team’s performances have been good in recent weeks as we also maintained our position at the top of the Relegation Pool.
“Beating Valletta for the first time ever has raised our confidence levels. There was a supporters’ rally this week and from what I’ve been told, the Qormi side in the enclosure will be full against Hibs.
“I’ve been trying to keep the team focused but I also want the players to feel the positive vibes coming from the fans.
“Our aim is to translate this wave of enthusiasm into a solid performance like we did against Valletta.”
Azzopardi acknowledged that Sunday’s victory over Valletta was a massive boost for Qormi who lost 2-1 to the Citizens in their only previous Trophy final appearance two years ago.
“It lifted the entire Qormi clan because they had been waiting for this moment a long time,” Azzopardi reminisced.
“Many were sceptical about our chances after we drew Valletta in the semi-finals but we were confident that, if we worked hard and together, we were capable of offering a stern challenge to Valletta.
“And we’ve been vindicated.”
After claiming the prized scalp of the Citizens, Qormi must defy the odds once more if they are to prevail over the more-quoted Hibs side.
“Our situation is the same as before the semi-final,” Azzopardi said.
“Hibs are the favourites because they finished second in the league and were Valletta’s main challengers for the title.
“They are expected to win the Trophy but if we repeat our performance against Valletta, we’ll give ourselves a good chance.
“If we perform even half a percentage less than we did in our previous match then we’ll have problems.”
In last Sunday’s semi-final, Jorginho added to his reputation with an excellent hat-trick.
The striker’s ability to tear apart opposing defences with his speed and deadly finishing will have been noted by Hibs who may take extra precautions to curtail the threat posed by the Brazilian, who is a reported target of a host of clubs for next season.
Questioned about Jorginho’s importance to the team and the possibility that he may be singled out for special attention by Hibs, Azzopardi said: “This is similar to Messi’s situation at Barcelona, albeit in a more complex way.
“Messi is the star of the team but he wouldn’t be able to give the same contribution if he wasn’t surrounded by a host of great players.
“Jorginho is a great player but his team-mates are supporting him a lot as we’re playing to exploit his strengths.”
Azzopardi, who will resume contract talks with Qormi this week, is unsure whether he can pick the same team that started the semi-final as Abubakar Bello-Osagie has a groin problem and Tristan Caruana is struggling with calf trouble.
In the league this season, Hibs won both their encounters against Qormi, 4-0 and 2-0.
Meanwhile, the Malta FA have an-nounced that Hibs and Qormi will donate €1,000 to Puttinu Cares before kick-off.
FA Trophy winners
20 times: Sliema Wanderers
19 times: Floriana
12 times: Valletta
8 times: Hibernians
6 times: Ħamrun Spartans
4 times: Birkirkara
Once: Melita
Once: Rabat Ajax
Once: Gżira United
Once: Żurrieq