New season gets underway this weekend ●First ever league with 14 clubs ●Champions Hibernians open defence of title against St Andrews
The new football season – 2017-18 – will be commencing this weekend with four matches today and another three tomorrow.
It will be the first ever league in Malta to be contested by 14 teams, but I expect it to be mainly the same ‘usual’ teams contesting the title and three or four of the clubs battling it out to avoid the Drop.
Champions Hibernians will obviously be doing their best to defend the title they won last season. Once again, they start among the favourites to challenge for another title win.
But in the process, they will have to face expected strong challenges from the usual ‘top’ clubs, such as Balzan, Valletta, Birkirkara and Floriana.
Hibernians, Valletta and Floriana were not so active as Balzan and Birkirkara in this summer’s transfer market, but they are still considered to be strong to offer a valid challenge.
There has been a lot of activity during the summer transfer market and all the clubs – or most of them – have registered some new foreigners as well as some locals, in the hope of strengthening their squads.
It is, of course, still to be seen whether the new imports will be able to make an impact, not only on their clubs, but also on Maltese football in general.
Of course, the team to beat will be Hibernians. Coach Mark Miller must expect all the other teams – not just the so-called top clubs – to give his side a good run for their money.
But the Paolites seem to be well prepared for the challenge. Despite losing Jorginho and possibly Kristensen, they seem to have a strong squad once again this season.
Balzan and Birkirkara were the most active clubs in the summer transfer market, but with so many new faces in their squads – especially Birkirkara – it is evident that it will take some time for them to get the desired results.
New coaches Marco Micovic (Balzan) and Peter Pullicino (Birkirkara) seem to be relishing the challenge and this is evident from the results obtained by the two teams in the friendly tournaments and matches they have played.
Valletta have also made some changes to their squad, but new coach Zoran Popovic seems to have preferred maintaining most of the top players of last season with a few additions.
The same can be said of Floriana whose coach Giovanni Tedesco seems to be intent on seeing his team improving over the past season.
Sliema Wanderers, usually considered as a top club as well, were once again a great disappointment last season and there is no doubt that coach John Buttigieg will be hoping to see his side registering improvement. Apart from the departure of international striker Farrugia – he has joined Chiasso in Switzerland the squad is more or less the same as that of last season.
Hamrun Spartans, St Andrews, Gzira United and Tarxien Rainbows seem to have been the busiest in the transfer market in their efforts to strengthen their squads so as to be able to stay away from the relegation zone.
Mosta and the newly promoted Senglea, Naxxar and Lija, have also registered some new players in the hope of avoiding the bottom places. But they are all expected to face a tough time to retain their place among the elite of Maltese football.
Full programme Today
Bank of Valletta Premier League 6.30pm Birkirkara-Floriana; 8.45pm Tarxien R.-Hamrun S.
Bank of Valletta Premier League 6.30pm Lija Ath.-Gzira U.; 8.45pm Hibernians-St Andrews.
Tomorrow
Bank of Valletta Premier League 6.30pm Balzan-Naxxar L.; 8.45pm VallettaMosta.
Valletta Premier Sliema W.-Senglea. Bank of League 7pm