Floriana can hand leadership back to Hibernians
● Leaders Balzan face difficult clash against Floriana ● Hibs, Valletta meet bottom placed clubs
The Bank of Valletta Premier League could have another twist this weekend as current leaders Balzan face an intriguing clash against Floriana tomorrow.
At present, Balzan lead the standings on 51 points, one ahead of second placed Hibernians and four above third placed Valletta. Floriana are eight points behind Balzan in the standings, but it is obvious that a victory for the Greens will put them in an even better position to continue challenging for the title when nine matches still remain to be played.
And with both Hibernians and Valletta likely to win their easylooking matches against the two bottom clubs (Mosta and Pembroke respectively) today, it will become imperative for Balzan to beat Floriana to retain their first place by tomorrow.
In the other matches, I expect a good and interesting encounter in the derby between Gzira and Sliema, while the Birkirkara-Hamrun clash could also be a tough one. The St Andrews-Tarxien clash involves two teams who are relatively out of trouble, occupying a place far above the two bottom teams.
As already said, the main match this weekend is the FlorianaBalzan encounter to be played tomorrow at Ta’ Qali.
The two sides will obviously be looking for a victory for different reasons. On one hand, Balzan will be doing their best to retain the sole leadership in their chase for a first ever title win, while Floriana need the three points not only to maintain their challenge for the title, but also to consolidate their place among the top four in the hope of returning to European football next season which they can also achieve by winning the FA Trophy later this season.
The two teams have been among the most consistent this season and both have had their ups and downs, but overall, I can say that they have been two of the most entertaining sides in the Premier League this season.
They both have good players, especially their foreign strikers, who are able to produce a positive result for their team on their day.
I expect this match to be a closely knit affair, but both will have one of their regular local players missing through suspension. They are Clive Brincat of Balzan and Steve Pisani of Floriana.
Hibernians should find little difficulty in disposing of Mosta as the latter are finding it harder than ever to return to winning form.
The same could be said of Pembroke who will be facing third placed Valletta. It is obvious that this match will be an uphill task for the bottom placed club.
For the Citizens, who are improving with every match now that the league is entering its final run-in, Leandro Aguirre will be missing as he is suspended.
Another keenly contested match should be the Birkirkara-Hamrun encounter.
This match offers the Stripes a chance to redeem themselves after having lost their title hopes in the previous round match when the Spartans ran out winners.
Even if the Spartans are in a safe mid-table placing, they could prove to be a tough nut to crack once again for the Stripes who not only still find goal-scoring a problem, but will also have the towering central defender Predrag Jovic missing the match through suspension. The Gzira-Sliema derby could also be a tight affair even if both sides seem to be safe from any relegation trouble.
This fact could enable the two sets of players to play with more tranquillity thus offering local football enthusiasts an entertaining game. Mark Scerri and Stefano Bianciardi, both of Sliema, are ruled out of this match through suspension.
The same applies to the other match on the programme, that between St Andrews and Tarxien Rainbows, as neither side seems to have further interest in the proceedings, at least at present.
Standings
Balzan Hibernians Valletta Floriana Birkirkara Sliema Tarxien Hamrun Gzira St. Andrews Mosta Pembroke P W D L F APts 24 15 6 3 52 28 51 24 15 5 4 40 23 50 24 13 8 3 38 17 47 24 12 7 5 41 24 43 24 12 5 7 44 23 41 24 9 4 11 30 32 31 24 7 8 9 31 31 29 24 8 3 13 36 46 27 24 7 4 13 27 38 25 24 5 9 10 27 36 24 24 4 4 16 17 51 16 24 3 5 16 22 56 14