Sliema Wanderers will be aiming at extending their unbeaten run to move temporarily on top the BOV Premier League table as they take on Tarxien Rainbows in one of the four matches in programme on Saturday.
Two matches will be played at the National Stadium and another two at the Victor Tedesco.
Vittoriosa S. vs Qormi, kick-off at 17:00 @ National Stadium
After suffering a narrow defeat to Valletta, Qormi will be hoping to bounce back with a win over Vittoriosa. The team led by Tommaso Volpi claimed the three points thanks to a comfortable win over Tarxien Rainbows, losing the other three games. However the performance against Valletta was completely different from that against Sliema and Naxxar as they shared the exchanges with the Citizens for long stretches and would have stolen nothing with a draw.
Vittoriosa lost to Mosta, Hibs and Floriana following a draw with Balzan in their first outing. Last week, they suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat to Floriana with all goals being scored in the final five minutes.
No players are suspended but Sheldon Grech is ruled out injured for Vittoriosa and Leighton Grech is still struggling to regain full fitness for Qormi.
Rabat A. vs Floriana, kick-off at 17:00 @ National Stadium
Rabat Ajax are still seeking their first points as they take on Floriana after losing the first four matches to Birkirkara, Balzan, Mosta and Hibernians. Floriana, on the other hand, registered their first win as they beat Vittoriosa 2-1 last week and have collected four points so far after a draw with Naxxar in their first outing. They lie two points behind Rabat, on minus two points and a win on Saturday would enable them to hand the wooden spoon to Rabat.
Dylan Falzon returns for the Ajax after serving a one-match ban but Joseph Caruana is ruled out injured. Gary Roberts is in doubt for Floriana.
Sliema W. vs Tarxien R., kick-off at 17:00 @ V. Tedesco Stadium
Sliema Wanderers seek the fourth win in five matches to move on top the BOV Premier League table before Sunday’s big match between Hibernians and Birkirkara. They are coming from a narrow win over Balzan in their last outing. The Rainbows disappointed in their last two matches, losing 6-2 to Qormi and 3-1 to Naxxar Lions and are therefore keen to get a positive result from this game which puts three on-loan players – Miguel Ciantar, Josef Mifsud and Luca Martinelli – against their parent club.
Ryan Sammut is struggling to recover from an injury for Tarxien. Sliema, on the other hand, are expected to be in full strength.
Valletta vs Naxxar L., kick-off at 17:00 @ V. Tedesco Stadium
After struggling to beat Qormi 1-0, Valletta hope to do better as they take on in-form Naxxar Lions. Naxxar defeated Qormi and Tarxien and held Floriana, losing only to Sliema Wanderers. The Citizens, on the other hand, won three matches, losing to Hibernians.
For Naxxar, Angus Buhagiar is ruled out through suspension. Valletta welcome back Denni Rocha dos Santos after serving a two-match ban.