Valletta, Hibs eager to bounce back from defeats

bov-premier-leagueValletta and Hibernians will be all out to bounce back from their mid-week defeats as the two teams cross swords in one of the two BOV Premier League matches in programme on Sunday at the National Stadium. The two matches which were due to be played at the Hibernians Stadium have been postponed to Monday.

Sliema Wanderers vs Tarxien Rainbows, kick-off 18:00 at National Stadium
After back-to-back wins over Floriana and Hamrun, Tarxien target a third win in a row as they take on a Sliema Wanderers side which lost four of the five matches played, collecting their only points in a win over Birkirkara. In their last outing, Sliema lost 0-3 to St. Andrews while Tarxien beat Hamrun 2-1.

Sergio Fernandez Prendes and Rogelio Antonio Van Horn Avila Filho return for Tarxien after serving a one-match ban but Ayrton Azzoaprdi and Julian Galea are recovering from injuries. Sliema could not count on the injured Stefano Bianciardi while goalkeeper Giuseppe Sarao is still in doubt.

Valletta vs Hibernians, kick-off 20:00 at National Stadium
Following a 0-2 defeat to eternal rivals Floriana, champions Valletta will be all out to return to winning ways as they take on Hibernians who have failed to impress so far despite winning three games. However in their last outing, the Paolites played well, sharing the exchanges with Balzan, despite losing 0-2 to Balzan.

Apart from the injured Roderick Briffa, Leandro Aguirre is ruled out through suspension while Claudio Pani is in doubt as he is recovering from an injury. Goalkeeper Andrew Hogg is in doubt for the Paolites who still lack Diosdado Mbele and Rui da Gracia Gomes.