Watch: Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans eye final berth and place in European club competitions

The stakes will be high for both Ħamrun Spartans and Floriana when the two rivals will go head to head in the second semi-final of the 360 Sports Malta Premier Final Four on Monday at the National Stadium (kick-off: 7.15pm).

Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans will be vying for victory in the second semi-final as they look to remain on course for their primary objective this season, to be crowned as Malta champions.

But beyond their title dreams, the winner of tonight’s match will assure himself of playing in a UEFA club competition this summer.

Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans come into the match in contrasting moods.

The Greens are still reeling from their failure to wrap up a record 27th league title after they were held by Birkirkara to a 1-1 draw at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

That result was inevitably a major psychological blow for the Floriana clan but coach Darren Abdilla said that the players have now regrouped from that setback and are determined to use that heartache as a motivation to go all the way in the Top Four.

“This is a crucial match for both Floriana and Ħamrun Spartans as there is European football at stake for whoever comes out on top,” Abdilla said.

“Playing in Europe is a major objective for our club, and we want to do everything in our power to reach this goal.

“Added to that, after failing to win the league title in our previous match, it was only natural that everyone at our club was heartbroken as we felt that against Birkirkara, the team had done more than enough to take all three points.

“But that setback has increased our resolve and determination to reach our primary objective of winning the league title. In the past few days, I have spoken to the players and I can tell you that they are even more determined to produce another strong performance against Ħamrun Spartans that will take us through to the final.”

Abdilla will be without two players for today’s match, as Gabriel Sotomayor and Matias Garcia, who must serve a one-match ban. Added to that, several players from both sides are at risk of missing a potential final as they are one booking away from suspension.

Abdilla said that he finds this situation quite bizarre, given that the league phase of the competition has now come to an end, and he thought that all cards received will no longer count.

“To be honest, it’s quite a strange situation as I felt that given that the league competition has come to an end, all yellow cards collected will become void. But the organisers felt differently, and it’s another situation that all four teams have to deal with and have to accept and get on with it.”

Abdilla said that he feels a burning desire to win the league title for the club’s fans who last weekend celebrated the feast of their patron saint St Publius.

“There is a great desire to win this league title, so we give something to cheer for our fans who are celebrating the locality’s feast this weekend,” Abdilla said.

“It’s our obligation to do what is needed so we see the city of Floriana united and we are determined to reach this objective.”

Jake Grech, the Floriana attacking midfielder, admitted that it was hard to fathom the result against Birkirkara, given the excellent performance of the team.

But the former Ħamrun Spartans player said that they are looking forward to the match with a positive mindset.

“Against Birkirkara, we were the better side and did all we could to win the match, but it was not to be. Unfortunately, in football, the best team does not always win, but we just have to be proud of our performance and look forward to our next match with a lot of positivity,” he said.

“There is great motivation in the team, and the players have agreed that on Monday we need to give our 200 per cent to ensure we reach the final.”

Ħamrun Spartans reach the Final Four after they beat Marsaxlokk 1-0 to finish second in the Closing Round.

Title fate

Coach Winston Muscat said that since he took charge at Ħamrun Spartans, the team has come a long way, but now their title fate is firmly in their hands.

“When I took charge of Ħamrun Spartans, I received a lot of support from various people at the club,” Muscat said.

“Looking back, I believe that the team has shown a lot of improvement in recent weeks, and our results in the Closing Round are a clear testimony of that. We are the team that picked up the highest number of points in that phase.

“Nobody gave us a chance of winning the title, but we kept believing, and if we were given the smallest of opportunities, we could take it and now our destiny is firmly in our hands.

“Still we are not satisfied with what we achieved and we are gunning for more. We are focused on the semi-final against Floriana and we are determined to win the match and reach next week’s final.

“We are giving Floriana all the respect they deserve, as they were the most consistent side in the championship, but we are going out for the win and on Monday we will discover who is the better team to win the match and reach the final.”

Muscat is without Brazilian midfielder Elionay Freitas who is suspended while defender Emerson Marcelina is facing a race against time to see if he will be declared fit for the match.”