After all the euphoria of the 360 Sports Malta Premier finale, all eyes will be on the National Stadium when the semi-finals of the Meridianbet FA Trophy are played on Wednesday.
Ħamrun Spartans, fresh from their stunning championship success following a 1-0 win over Birkirkara in the Top Four final on Saturday, will be looking to stay on course to end a 30-year FA Trophy drought when they face Hibernians for a place in the final.
In the opening tie of the day, Floriana and Birkirkara will be determined to put their league woes behind them and try to find solace in the FA Trophy when they face off in the opening semi-final of the day.
Floriana head into the match in a slightly better frame of mind than Birkirkara as Darren Abdilla’s men bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on a place in the Malta Premier final when they brushed aside Sliema Wanderers 4-0 to finish third in the league and assure themselves of European football.
After such an impressive win, coach Darren Abdilla will be trying to encourage his players to keep up the momentum against a hurt Birkirkara side as they look to end what has been a very promising campaign by winning the FA Trophy.
The Greens will have added fuel in their tanks as they will have the opportunity to take some sweet revenge on a Birkirkara side who, a fortnight ago, denied them the chance to win the title without the need of play-offs when they held them to a 1-1 draw.
However, Floriana will find in front of them a Birkirkara side, hurt and disappointed after Saturday’s defeat in the championship final against Ħamrun Spartans and who will be keen to make amends in the cup competition.
The Stripes have shown time and again that they are capable of hurting Floriana on a number of occasions but surely they will need to be at their best if they are to see off the Greens.
Coach Stefano De Angelis will again bank on the technical and leadership qualities of his talisman Alex Satariano, who on Monday was recognised for his fine campaign when winning the Top Premier League Player award in the MFPA Awards.
The Italian coach is sweating on the fitness of forward Kemar Reid, who pulled out in the clash against Ħamrun Spartans with a muscle injury, and winger Manuel Morello who has been nursing a problem since he was substituted in the 1-1 draw against Floriana two weeks ago.
The second semi-final will see Ħamrun Spartans starting favourites to reach the FA Trophy final when they face Hibernians.
The Reds, winners of the Super Cup and the Malta Premier, will be keen to stay on course to complete a memorable treble this season and their league triumph will surely provide further energy to their players as they push for a memorable finish to what has been a tough campaign.
Coach Winston Muscat will check on the fitness of skipper Steve Borg, who missed the clash against Birkirkara through injury.
For Hibernians, the FA Trophy is their last opportunity to secure a return to European football this summer.
The Paolites failed to qualify for the Top Six, thus ending their realistic hopes of qualifying to Europe through the Malta Premier League.
One advantage the Paolites could have over the other three teams is that they head into the semi-finals with a much lighter playing schedule, thus presenting themselves with a fresher squad of players.
However, it will still take the Paolites a major effort to stop the Spartans march towards a domestic treble given the latter’s hot form of late.
PLAYING ON WEDNESDAY
NATIONAL STADIUM
Floriana vs Birkirkara 18.00
Ħamrun S. vs Hibs 20.45
