Hibernians and Birkirkara will have their eyes firmly set on putting behind them what has been a very disappointing Opening Phase of the YoHealth Malta Premier League when they face off in their first outing of the Closing Round on Sunday evening (kick-off: 5pm).
Both Hibernians and Birkirkara are going through a bit of a squad revamp in a bid to offer a much stronger challenge in the second part of the season, and try to muscle their way into the battle for the title crown.
Hibernians coach Branko Nisevic suffered a blow when he lost prolific forward Lucas Villela last week, who opted to continue his career in Kuwait, and confirmed that they are eyeing a replacement.
Still, the Serbian coach is confident that his team has what it takes to make it into the Top 6 come the Closing Round.
“The Bottom 6 wasn’t too challenging, and we always believed we could be at the top of that pile,” Nisevic said.
“I firmly believe that now we are better prepared for the Closing Round. Losing Lucas Villela gave us extra work to do as we look for the best way to replace him.
“We’ve brought in some new players, and we know we need to perform better than we did in the Opening Round.
“It’s not going to be easy; we’ve made some changes to our playing style, but we’re confident we can make it into the Top 6 this time.”
Asked on his reaction to Villela’s departure, Nisevic said: “Replacing Villela won’t be simple, but we believe other players can fill that role,” Nisevic said.
“We’re also active in the market, looking for a replacement. Players come and go, that’s football, and we must always adapt.”
On his part, Bjorn Kristensen, the Hibernians captain said that it’s useless looking at what was done this season but the only way is to look forward and try and be more consistent for long periods of the season.
“The club had to look at the way forward,” Kristensen said.
“We started the season really well, but we lost some key players through injury and that affected our consistency.
“We need to be more united and maintain that level of performance over a longer period. Every game is important; you always need the three points.
“A match against Birkirkara is important for our fans, and we’ll be doing everything we can to start the Closing Round on a strong note.”
Birkirkara have been one of the most active clubs in the transfer market in the last few weeks, bringing in six new signings and coach Gianluca Festa is confident the new arrivals will adapt quickly to the club’s playing philosophy.
“In recent weeks we were missing several players and had to rely on few young ones,” Festa said.
“They were given valuable playing time, which will serve them well going forward. Those who played gave their 100 per cent, but it was clear we needed to strengthen the team.
“The club understood our needs, and we now have six new signings, and we are still working hard to make the squad even stronger.
“Players like Alessandro Coppola are very important for us as he has great experience of Maltese football and hopefully he will adapt quickly to our new playing philosophy.
“All the new players are available for Sunday, depending on their physical condition.
“Sunday marks the start of a new phase. This league format gives teams who struggled in the Opening Round a chance to bounce back.
“It’s our duty to roll up our sleeves and show what we’re made of, to prove ourselves on the pitch and lift this club back to where it truly belongs.”
On his part, Coppola revealed that he decided to return to Maltese football for family reasons and is delighted he returned to Birkirkara, club who is close to his heart.
“I returned to Malta for family reasons,” Coppola said.
“It wasn’t easy, but I’m happy to be back home and to have resolved those personal matters.
I’m especially happy to be back at Birkirkara, this club is close to my heart.
“I went to Italy to pursue my ambitions, but sometimes life brings situations that make you change course.
“When I arrived here, I already knew half the team, and there’s definitely quality in this squad. What we need now is to regain the confidence we lost in the Opening Round.
“If we give our 100 per cent, we can compete with the very best in this competitive league.”
