Valletta will be all out for the three points on Sunday as they take on Vittoriosa Stars in one of the four BOV Premier League matches in programme at the Centenary Stadium and the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
Birkirkara and Mosta also seek precious points in the upper part of the table while Qormi and Balzan cross swords in a clash between two teams in the lower part of the table.
Floriana vs Mosta, kick-off at 16:00 – Centenary Stadium
After losing 0-2 to Hibernians, Mosta hope to bounce back with a win over rivals Floriana. The Blues won four of the seven matches played and are currently fifth in the table.
The Greens lie at the bottom of the table with two points following Rabat’s narrow win over Tarxien and eye a positive result in their bid to climb out of the danger zone. They collected one point in a goalless draw with Balzan in their last outing.
For the Greens, Daniel Bogdanovic is ruled out as he was suspended for 28 days by the club following a fight between players during training while Sunday Eboh is still recovering from an injury. Ryan Grech and Diego Pereira are injured for Mosta but coach Danilo Doncic could rely on new signings Nicola Cosentini, Francesco Calcagno and Haruna Bara.
Valletta vs Vittoriosa S., kick-off at 18:00 – Centenary Stadium
Valletta could move to just four points behind leaders Hibernians should they beat Vittoriosa Stars. They won four of the last five matches, defeating Sliema 3-0 two weeks ago. Vittoriosa, on the other hand, hope to extend their positive run to four matches without defeat after collecting seven points in the last three matches thanks to wins over Qormi and Rabat and a draw with Tarxien.
For Valletta, Ian Azzopardi and Jonathan Caruana are ruled out injured and Luke Dimech is suspended. Vittoriosa coach Oliver Spiteri also cannot field his best formation as a number of players are recovering from injuries.
Qormi vs Balzan, kick-off at 16:00 – Victor Tedesco Stadium
Qormi and Balzan will both be all out for the three points as they hope to climb out of the danger zone. Qormi are currently third from bottom on four points with Balzan lying just one point ahead of them.
Qormi lost five of the seven matches played but are coming from a 1-1 draw with Birkirkara. Balzan, now under the guidance of former Qormi coach Jesmond Zerafa, also earned a point in a draw in their last outing – holding Floriana in a goalless draw. A first point after four consecutive defeats.
Firas Aboulezz returns for Balzan after serving a two-match ban. Qormi, on the other hand, are still plagued with injuries.
Naxxar L. vs Birkirkara, kick-off at 18:15 – Victor Tedesco Stadium
The Stripes hope to bounce back after dropping two important points in a draw with Qormi. A win would put them in second or third place. Naxxar, on the other hand, seek another positive result after defeating Rabat 2-1 in their last outing. They are currently sixth on ten points.
Gareth Sciberras is ruled out for the Stripes after missing the last two World Cup qualifiers with the national team due to injuries. Andre Rocha da Silva and Terence Scerri are back in squad after recovering from injuries.