Naxxar Lions and Mosta will be all out to take the three points home as they cross swords in the derby in one of the four matches in programme on Sunday.

Tarxien Rainbows face a tricky Pembroke Athleta test while Hibernians and Balzan start as firm favourites to claim the three points in the other two matches as they take on Qormi and St. Andrews respectively.

Hibernians vs Qormi, kick-off 14:00 at Hibernians Stadium
Champions Hibernians target a third consecutive win as they take on a Qormi side which lost four out of the last five matches and are currently third from bottom. With a win, the Paolites, who were eliminated from the FA Trophy by Pembroke Athleta, would move to just one point behind Valletta.

Hibs welcome back Bjorn Kristensen but Andrei Agius and Marcelo Dias are suspended while Rui and Jorginho are ruled out injured. Qormi are still without the injured Emerson Vella and Terence Vella but Djamel Leeflang should be back.

In the first round, Hibs defeated Qormi 2-1.

Naxxar Lions vs Mosta, kick-off 16:00 at Hibernians Stadium
Naxxar Lions and Mosta cannot afford any result other than a win after both disappointed in recent outings. Naxxar lost the last six matches and have gone eight matches without a win. Mosta, on the other hand, lost the last three games.

Naxxar welcome back Angus Buhagiar and could field Italian goalkeeper Alberto Gallinetta and Spanish striker Edu Vallecillo.

In the first round, Naxxar defeated Mosta 2-0.

Tarxien Rainbows vs Pembroke Athleta, kick-off 14:00 at Victor Tedesco Stadium
In-form Tarxien hope to join Floriana in fourth place by beating Pembroke Athleta. The Rainbows claimed four points from their last two league matches after beating Floriana comfortably and holding leaders Valletta in a draw. Pembroke beat Naxxar last week while on Wednesday, they were in excellent form as they eliminated champions and last season’s FA Trophy finalists Hibernians from the competition.

Tarxien coach Jacques Scerri has new signings Claudio Frances and Ryan Spiteri at his disposal. Terence Agius and Siraj Arab Eddin return for Pembroke after missing the last league game.

In the first round, Tarxien defeated Pembroke 2-1.

Balzan vs St. Andrews, kick-off 16:15 at Victor Tedesco Stadium
Balzan start as favourites to bag the three points but following the signing of no less than six new foreigners, St. Andrews will be aiming at collecting their first points in the BOV Premier League after losing the first seventeen matches. On the other hand, Balzan need the three points to keep the pace with the top five teams.

In the first round, Balzan beat St. Andrews 2-0.