All eyes will be on Birkirkara and Hamrun Spartans at the National Stadium on Saturday as the two rivals will battle out for the title in the Championship Final of the 360Sports Malta Premier.
This will be the first time the Premier title will be decided in this way following the change of format which introduced the South American idea of an Opening and Closing Round with the top two teams in each round entering the Final Four.
In the semi-finals, Birkirkara scored two minutes in added time in the second half of extra-time to eliminate Closing Round winners Sliema Wanderers while Hamrun Spartans eliminated Opening Round winners Floriana on penalties.
The Stripes had dominated the Opening Round League Phase, finishing top on 28 points, five ahead of Floriana but after obtaining just a win and four draws in the Top 6, they had to settle for second place.
On the other hand, in the Closing Round, Birkirkara were one of four joint-leaders in the League Phase but after collecting just five points in the Top 6 thanks to a win and two draws, they finished fifth, four points behind Sliema and Hamrun.
Hamrun Spartans, on the other hand, just made it to the Top 6 after beating Gzira United on the final match day of the league phase, finishing fifth in the Top 6, eleven points behind Floriana.
On the other hand, in the Closing Round, Hamrun made it to the Top 6 thanks a win in a clash with Naxxar Lions in the last match day of the League Phase. However, in the Top 6, Hamrun won three and drew two to end as joint-leaders with Sliema Wanderers, placing second due to the inferior record in the direct encounters.
For Hamrun, Winston Muscat, who had started the season with Marsaxlokk, took over as coach mid-way through the Closing Round League Phase and after suffering a defeat in his first match, he led the Spartans to four wins and two draws in the six matches they played before Monday’s semi-final against Floriana.
On the other hand, Stefano De Angelis led Birkirkara to an impressive nine wins out of the first eleven matches but since then, they won seven, drew seven and lost seven.
Throughout the Opening and Closing Round, Birkirkara collected 56 points in sixteen wins, eight draws and eight defeats while Hamrun collected 52 in fifteen wins, seven draws and ten defeats.
While Hamrun Spartans chase their eleventh championship and the fourth in five years, Birkirkara will be hoping to lift the trophy for the fifth time and the first since 2012/13.
Apart from the Malta Premier title, the winner would also secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League while the loser would join Floriana in the UEFA Conference League.