Floriana and Sliema Wanderers will renew their Old Firm rivalry as they look to keep up the pace with Premier League pacesetters Birkirkara when they face off at the Tony Bezzina Stadium this evening.
With leaders Birkirkara holding a commanding advantage at the top of the standings, Floriana and Sliema Wanderers have no margin of dropping any points if they are to maintain their hopes of staying in the hunt of challenging the Stripes for top spot at the end of the Opening Round.
Given that the new format of the Premier League provides the top two sides at the end of the first championship a good opportunity to secure European football this summer, Floriana midfielder Dunstan Vella talked up on the importance of finishing at least as the closest side to leaders Birkirkara.
“This is a very important match for various reasons,” Vella said.
“It’s no secret of the great rivalry that exists between the two clubs but more importantly we have some major objectives that we are keen to achieve.
“Last week’s win over Balzan assured us of finishing in the top six but our ambitions are far greater than that. We are keen to keep the pace with Birkirkara and given this new format, a top two finish at the end of the championship is crucial to stay in the hunt for European football and we need to achieve that.
“As the championship have shown so far, there are no easy matches as all teams are very balanced. Everyone is capable of defeating anyone, as our 3-3 draw against Melita has shown. So it’s key that we approach the match with the same intensity and mentality to succeed.”
On his part, Floriana coach Darren Abdilla said that he expects a very tough match-up against a team who are guided by one of the best coaches in Maltese football in Paul Zammit.
“We are aware of the tough challenge awaiting us as we are facing a Sliema Wanderers team who are guided by a top coach for whom I have a lot of respect,” Abdilla said.
“I am expecting a very difficult match between two teams of great technical level. We are coming from a very positive result against Balzan, but I am still not satisfied as I believe that my team is capable of playing much better.
philosophy
“I have been working with the team for five months and it takes time for the players to fully understand my philosophy and put it fully into practice. And that is why I expect my team to continue to improve and grow but we need time and patience.
“However, I believe that we are heading in the right direction, and we just need time.”
Paul Zammit, the Sliema Wanderers coach, said that it is inevitable that given the huge rivalry that exists between the two clubs the match takes added value particularly for the fans.
“Every match is important,” Zammit said.
“Obviously given the great rivalry that exists, the weight of the match takes more significance for the fans but at the end of the day it’s a match no different than the others where we need to take all three points.
“Unfortunately, we have passed through a difficult run of fixtures which saw us drop some important points that left us trailing behind the top two sides. The win against Ħamrun was important to instil some belief but now it’s important to keep the momentum going against Floriana.
“It’s not going to be easy as they are a team who has adopted a different football philosophy this season and they are not only the team that scored the highest number of goals but also they are still unbeaten and that says a lot about them. So we need to be ready to battle.”
Cain Attard, the Sliema Wanderers defender, has talked up on the importance of big characters in his club’s dressing room to manage to get the team back on track after a tricky run of results.
“I am only at the club for a few months, and it’s normal that you need a bit of time to adapt to the new surroundings,” Attard said.
“I am blessed to be in a dressing room where there are some big characters who are always there to ensure that every player in the squad feels important.
“We have players like Murillo, Steve Pisani, and Edmund Agius, who were very important for us, particularly during that poor run of results that saw us drop seven points from three matches, as they managed to instil self-belief in the players to recover from that difficult time.
“Expectations are always huge at a club like Sliema but we are not looking too far away. We are always trying to keep our feet rooted to the ground try and take one match at a time and try to win it.”
PROGRAMME
TODAY
TONY BEZZINA STADIUM
Floriana vs Sliema W. 18.00
Balzan vs Hibernians 20.30
TOMORROW
TONY BEZZINA STADIUM
Ħamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk 15.00
Gżira Utd vs Żabbar SP 17.30
TEDESCO STADIUM
Birkirkara vs Naxxar L. 19.00
CENTENARY STADIUM
Melita vs Mosta 19.00
Floriana and Sliema Wanderers will renew their Old Firm rivalry as they look to keep up the pace with Premier League pacesetters Birkirkara when they face off at the Tony Bezzina Stadium this evening.
With leaders Birkirkara holding a commanding advantage at the top of the standings, Floriana and Sliema Wanderers have no margin of dropping any points if they are to maintain their hopes of staying in the hunt of challenging the Stripes for top spot at the end of the Opening Round.
Given that the new format of the Premier League provides the top two sides at the end of the first championship a good opportunity to secure European football this summer, Floriana midfielder Dunstan Vella talked up on the importance of finishing at least as the closest side to leaders Birkirkara.
“This is a very important match for various reasons,” Vella said.
“It’s no secret of the great rivalry that exists between the two clubs but more importantly we have some major objectives that we are keen to achieve.
“Last week’s win over Balzan assured us of finishing in the top six but our ambitions are far greater than that. We are keen to keep the pace with Birkirkara and given this new format, a top two finish at the end of the championship is crucial to stay in the hunt for European football and we need to achieve that.
“As the championship have shown so far, there are no easy matches as all teams are very balanced. Everyone is capable of defeating anyone, as our 3-3 draw against Melita has shown. So it’s key that we approach the match with the same intensity and mentality to succeed.”
On his part, Floriana coach Darren Abdilla said that he expects a very tough match-up against a team who are guided by one of the best coaches in Maltese football in Paul Zammit.
“We are aware of the tough challenge awaiting us as we are facing a Sliema Wanderers team who are guided by a top coach for whom I have a lot of respect,” Abdilla said.
“I am expecting a very difficult match between two teams of great technical level. We are coming from a very positive result against Balzan, but I am still not satisfied as I believe that my team is capable of playing much better.
Football philosophy
“I have been working with the team for five months and it takes time for the players to fully understand my philosophy and put it fully into practice. And that is why I expect my team to continue to improve and grow but we need time and patience.
“However, I believe that we are heading in the right direction, and we just need time.”
Paul Zammit, the Sliema Wanderers coach, said that it is inevitable that given the huge rivalry that exists between the two clubs the match takes added value particularly for the fans.
“Every match is important,” Zammit said.
“Obviously given the great rivalry that exists, the weight of the match takes more significance for the fans but at the end of the day it’s a match no different than the others where we need to take all three points.
“Unfortunately, we have passed through a difficult run of fixtures which saw us drop some important points that left us trailing behind the top two sides. The win against Ħamrun was important to instil some belief but now it’s important to keep the momentum going against Floriana.
“It’s not going to be easy as they are a team who has adopted a different football philosophy this season and they are not only the team that scored the highest number of goals but also they are still unbeaten and that says a lot about them. So we need to be ready to battle.”
Cain Attard, the Sliema Wanderers defender, has talked up on the importance of big characters in his club’s dressing room to manage to get the team back on track after a tricky run of results.
“I am only at the club for a few months, and it’s normal that you need a bit of time to adapt to the new surroundings,” Attard said.
“I am blessed to be in a dressing room where there are some big characters who are always there to ensure that every player in the squad feels important.
“We have players like Murillo, Steve Pisani, and Edmund Agius, who were very important for us, particularly during that poor run of results that saw us drop seven points from three matches, as they managed to instil self-belief in the players to recover from that difficult time.
“Expectations are always huge at a club like Sliema but we are not looking too far away. We are always trying to keep our feet rooted to the ground try and take one match at a time and try to win it.”
PROGRAMME
PLAYING FRIDAY
TONY BEZZINA STADIUM
Floriana vs Sliema W. 18.00
Balzan vs Hibernians 20.30
PLAYING SATURDAY
TONY BEZZINA STADIUM
Ħamrun S. vs Marsaxlokk 15.00
Gżira Utd vs Żabbar SP 17.30
TEDESCO STADIUM
Birkirkara vs Naxxar L. 19.00
CENTENARY STADIUM
Melita vs Mosta 19.00
