Floriana will be facing Naxxar Lions in match-day 17 as the draws of the 360Sports Malta Premier Closing Round were held during the TV programme Il-Kampjonat on TVMSport+ on Monday.
Birkirkara will be meeting Balzan, Zabbar St. Patrick take on Sliema Wanderers, Melita face Hibernians, Marsaxlokk take on Hamrun Spartans while Mosta cross swords with Gzira United. Matches will be played on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 January.
In the Closing Round, all teams shall commence this phase afresh on zero points. The twelve teams will play on a single-round league basis and at the end of these matches, the six teams with the highest number of points shall be placed in the Top 6 group whilst the remaining six teams shall be placed in the
Bottom 6 group. As it was the case in the Opening Round Top 6 and Bottom 6, teams in each group shall play five matches each on a single round-robin basis where they would carry over the number of points obtained during the Closing Round league phase.
Sequence 360Sports Malta Premier Closing Round – League Phase:-
Balzan – Birkirkara, Mosta, Żabbar, Marsaxlokk, Naxxar Lions, Floriana, Ħamrun S., Melita, Sliema W., Hibernians, Gżira U.
Birkirkara – Balzan, Gżira U., Melita, Ħamrun S., Mosta, Naxxar L, Żabbar, Hibernians, Marsaxlokk, Floriana, Sliema W.
Floriana – Naxxar L., Melita, Ħamrun, Żabbar, Marsaxlokk, Balzan, Sliema, Mosta, Gżira U., Birkirkara, Hibernians.
Gżira United – Mosta, Birkirkara, Naxxar L., Melita, Hibernians, Sliema, Marsaxlokk, Ħamrun, Floriana, Żabbar, Balzan.
Ħamrun Spartans – Marsaxlokk, Hibernians, Floriana, Birkirkara, Żabbar, Melita, Balzan, Gżira, Mosta, Sliema, Naxxar L.
Hibernians – Melita, Ħamrun, Marsaxlokk, Sliema W., Gżira, Żabbar, Mosta, Birkirkara, Naxxar L., Balzan, Floriana.
Marsaxlokk – Ħamrun S., Żabbar, Hibernians, Balzan, Floriana, Mosta, Gżira, Sliema, Birkirkara, Naxxar L., Melita.
Melita – Hibernians, Floriana, Birkirkara, Gżira United, Sliema W., Ħamrun S., Naxxar L., Balzan, Żabbar, Mosta, Marsaxlokk.
Mosta – Gżira U., Balzan, Sliema, Naxxar L., Birkirkara, Marsaxlokk, Hibernians, Floriana, Ħamrun S., Melita, Żabbar.
Naxxar Lions – Floriana, Sliema, Gżira U., Mosta, Balzan, Birkirkara, Melita, Żabbar, Hibernians, Marsaxlokk, Ħamrun S.
Sliema W. – Żabbar, Naxxar L., Mosta, Hibernians, Melita, Gżira U, Floriana, Marsaxlokk, Balzan, Ħamrun S., Birkirkara.
Żabbar SP – Sliema W., Marsaxlokk, Balzan, Floriana, Ħamrun, Hibernians, Birkirkara, Naxxar, Melita, Gżira U., Mosta.
Matches from Match-Day 27 will be played in Gozo on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March.
Championship and Relegation Permutations
If Floriana win the Closing Round as well, they would be crowned champions.
If Birkirkara win the Closing Round Top 6 and Floriana finish second, then a championship decider between Floriana and Birkirkara will determine the championship.
In any other case, a Final Four will determine the championship, which will be contested by Floriana, Birkirkara and any other team which places first or second in the Closing Round Top 6 and one of the teams placing third in either the Opening or Closing Rounds, depending on the better record in the league phase of both the Opening and Closing Rounds and therefore not taking into consideration points obtained in the Top 6 phase of the Opening and Closing Rounds.
If both Floriana and Birkirkara miss out on the top two places of the Closing Round, the two teams who place first and second in the Closing Round will join them in the Final Four.
With regards to relegation, if Balzan and Naxxar Lions both finish in the bottom two places in the Closing Round Bottom 6, they will be relegated.
If only one of the two teams once again finish in the bottom two places, that team will be relegated and the other team to be relegated will be determined by a decider between the other team and the new team which would finish in the bottom two places of the Closing Round.
If both Balzan and Naxxar avoid the bottom two places in the Closing Round Bottom 6, they would be playing play-offs against the teams placing in the bottom two places of the Closing Round Bottom 6 with the two losers being relegated to the Challenge League.