Mosta take on Qormi in BOV Premier League Play-Off

Mosta and Qormi cross swords in the BOV Premier League Play-Off at the National Stadium on Friday, kick-off at 19:30.

After defeating Pembroke Athleta 4-2 in a decisive game last week, Mosta avoided the bottom spot in the Premier League and now start as favourites to retain their top division status as they take on a Qormi side which finished fourth in the BOV First Division.

The Blues had two disappointing runs but three wins in the last five matches ensured that they avoided the bottom spot, even if they had five points deducted over payment to an amateur player. After starting the season under the guidance of coach Edmond Lufi, the Albanian-born coach stepped down and Ivan Zammit took charge of the team but eventually, he was replaced by Slovak coach Zsolt Hornyak. In the final part of the season, Johann Scicluna was appointed as the new coach.

Ironically Scicluna spent most of his career as a player with Qormi and last season, was appointed as their coach. The team failed to retain its Premier League status and at the end of the season, he joined Fgura United in Division 1.

In Division 1, Qormi, with Brian Spiteri as their new coach, had a very poor start with three defeats in their first three outings but the team recovered well and nine wins in the next ten matches put them among the main challengers for promotion. They started to lose ground after five draws in the next six matches. Qormi claimed three important points in a win over leaders Naxxar Lions but then won just two out of their last six matches.

Qormi finished fourth on 46 points, eight behind leaders Lija Athletic.

In the play-off, extra-time will be played if necessary. If, after the end of extra-time, the result is still draw, kicks from the penalty mark shall be taken in accordance with The Laws of the Game.