Ħamrun Spartans and Floriana arrive to this Saturday’s highly-anticipated Premier League fixtures with the best-attacking records, inspired by forwards Luke Montebello and Kemar Reid.
Montebello, 28, leads the Premier League’s scoring charts with 21 goals followed by Reid who has scored 13 so far.
The two offensive players have played a big part for Ħamrun Spartans and Floriana respectively, as the two teams are vying for this season’s national championship.
Times of Malta Sport takes a closer look at the statistics produced by the two Malta internationals as they rub shoulders against each other on Saturday.
LUKE MONTEBELLO (ĦAMRUN SPARTANS)
Luciano Zauri’s Spartans have been the most prolific team this season with 55 goals scored in their 24 league games played so far.
That is an increase of 10 goals from last year’s total number produced by the title-winning squad managed by Branko Nisevic, now at Hibernians.
Montebello, on his part, contributed with just six goals to last season’s tally, which were still a huge factor in Ħamrun’s success.
In fact, the Malta international scored the winning goal on a couple of occasions – both against Gżira United, 2-1 in the first round and 1-0 in the second.
Watch: Ħamrun Spartans, Floriana crunch match adds to Zauri, Camoranesi’s meeting history.
Montebello also propelled Ħamrun to a 4-0 win over Balzan with the forward scoring the opening couple of goals for the Spartans in the season run-in.
In this season, however, there was a change in fortunes for the Birkirkara product, as his excellent form sees him lead the scoring charts with 21 goals.
It is Montebello’s best scoring record in his career, with his highest tally being 13 goals in the 2020/2021 and 2015/2016 seasons prior to this year’s campaign.
With his impressive height and his dominant right foot, Montebello has been flexing his muscles in the final third, delivering moments of quality that have helped elevate his numbers this season.
Montebello found the net seven times in his opening five Ħamrun games in this campaign, including braces against Naxxar Lions (4-0) and against Gudja United (3-0).
Ħamrun dropped their first points on Matchday 5, when they were held by Sliema Wanderers, now third in the league, in a 1-1 draw with Montebello firing the Spartans ahead with a right-footed shot after a solo effort.
Read: Ħamrun Spartans to ‘go for the kill’ against Floriana says skipper Steve Borg.
Matchday 8 saw the Malta international convert a penalty, one of his four goals from the spot, to help Ħamrun beat in-form Marsaxlokk 1-0.
One of Montebello’s personal highlights this season was his four-goal performance against Balzan as the Spartans sealed an impressive 7-1 win, at the National Stadium.
He went on to score in the following three straight games as Ħamrun won eight matches in a row before being held twice, with Montebello not scoring.
In the last five matches played, Montebello scored five across three games with the Spartans clinching maximum points on all occasions.
The former Livorno player, with whom he played in the Primavera championship, scored in 14 different league games during which the Spartans picked 40 points – winning 13, drawing just once.
In five of those 14 matches, Montebello did produce an assist as well while setting up the final pass before the goal in three other games including in the 1-0 win against Balzan in the season opener and the first-round tie against Floriana, at the death.
In contrast, Ħamrun chalked up just nine points from a possible 21 whenever Montebello did not record any goals or assists including in their only two defeats of the season – 3-0 vs Birkirkara and 2-1 vs Marsaxlokk.
KEMAR REID (FLORIANA)
One of Floriana’s improvements under Mauro Camoranesi was their scoring record as they have the second-best attacking stat with 52 goals, just three goals shy of Ħamrun’s goals tally.
That’s an upgrade of 22 goals from last season’s campaign when the Greens finished seventh, just a year after having finished runners-up to Hibernians – having scored 38 goals that season under Gianluca Atzori, with Kemar Reid scoring three times in five matches after joining during that winter transfer window.
A key component of Floriana’s better scoring record this season is Reid himself, who scored 13 of the 52 goals registered by the Greens.
He scored in 12 different games in which Floriana never dropped a single point – 12 wins, 36 points.
While that does not mean that Floriana are dependent on Reid’s goal contribution, it underlines the importance of the Malta forward in Camoranesi’s tactical structure.
His bursts in change of speed and clinical finishing in the final third have been a game changer for Reid’s numbers in this 2023/2024 campaign.
Read: Marsaxlokk defeat will spur Floriana to wrest title from Ħamrun Spartans, says El Hasni.
Never he had scored at least 13 goals in a single league campaign with his next best tally being seven goals in the 2019/2020 season, but in the second-tier while at St Andrews.
Reid opened the season by scoring in the opening four games, including a brace in the 2-0 win over Hibernians on Matchday 3.
He topped that moment with a 96th-minute winner against Marsaxlokk with Floriana securing the three points in a five-goal thriller against one of the strongest teams in this Premier League edition.
In the second round, he played a crucial role in big games against Birkirkara, Hibernians and Valletta where he found the net in every single match.
Reid assisted at least a goal in two of the 12 matches in which he scored, including twice in a 5-1 routine win over Gudja United back in March.
In addition, he did produce an assist in three other games in which Floriana scored seven points including victories over Valletta, in the first round and Mosta.
The former Mosta, Sirens and Żejtun Corinthians player did not contribute with a goal or an assist when he was on the pitch, having missed two games, in seven encounters.
Floriana’s record in those matches was of three wins, two draws, and two defeats – against Ħamrun in the first-round tie and in last weekend’s game against Marsaxlokk.
Both forwards have different characteristics that suit their club’s playing styles, but in the end scoring goals remain a common trait for Montebello and Reid as Ħamrun and Floriana will be banking on their quality upfront come this Saturday.
At international level, Montebello and Reid are two of the main players that form Malta’s forward department under the guidance of coach Michele Marcolini.
Donning the colours of his national team, Montebello made three appearances in the recent Euro 2024 qualifications while also playing a part in the 2-2 draw against Slovenia, in March.
He has played over 30 games for Malta but is yet to record a single goal at senior level.
Reid, who has 3 appearances for the national team, is also looking to open his account with the national team.
The Floriana player made his debut at the prestigious Wembley Stadium in the 2-0 defeat at the hands of England.
Author
