A spot in the UEFA Conference League will be at stake on Friday as Valletta and Hamrun Spartans cross swords in the final for third place in the YoHealth Malta Premier.
So far, the only two teams sure of playing European football are Floriana and Marsaxlokk who will contesting the Finalissima on Saturday. But while Valletta are still involved in the Meridianbet FA Trophy against Gzira United which could lead to a spot in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, this game provides the only real opportunity to play European football.
Valletta made it to the Final Four after finishing third on accumulated points in the two league phases. They finished the Opening Round league phase on 22 points, on level points with Hamrun Spartans, one behind Floriana but after two wins, a draw and two defeats, had to settle for third place in the Top 6, five points behind Hamrun and four behind Floriana. In the Closing Round league phase, the Citizens placed joint-fifth on 17 points and after obtaining seven points thanks to two wins and a draw and two defeats, they placed fourth in the Top 6, thirteen behind Floriana. However, in the semi-finals, the Citizens lost on penalties to Floriana following a goalless draw at the end of the ninety minutes and extra-time.
On the other hand, Hamrun Spartans placed second in the Opening Round league phase, one point behind Floriana but thanks to four wins in five matches, they finished their Top 6 commitments on top, one point ahead of the Greens. In the Closing Round, Hamrun placed three points behind Floriana but after losing three of the five matches in the Top 6, they had to settle for third place, three points behind Marsaxlokk and six behind Floriana. In the semi-finals, they lost 2-3 to Marsaxlokk after extra-time.
Valletta and Hamrun met five times this season. The two teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in the Opening Round league phase while in the Top 6, Hamrun registered a 1-0 win. Valletta and Hamrun shared the spoils in a goalless draw in the Closing Round league phase. Valletta won 3-1 after extra-time in the Meridianbet FA Trophy and went on to win 2-1 in the Closing Round Top 6.
In this match, extra-time will be played if necessary and if the result is still draw, penalty kicks will be taken in accordance with the Laws of the Game.
If Valletta win, they would qualify for the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round but should they also win the FA Trophy, they would move automatically to the second qualifying round and Hamrun would still qualify for UEFA Conference League first qualifying round.
On the other hand, in case of a win for Hamrun Spartans, they would enter the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round while Valletta would have to win the Meridianbet FA Trophy to secure a spot in the UEFA Conference League. Otherwise it would be Gzira United to make it to European football.