Floriana will be seeking revenge on Żabbar St Patrick on Sunday when the two Premier League sides clash for the second time in the space of a few days at the Centenary Stadium (kick-off: 7pm).
The match was originally scheduled to be played tomorrow at 4.30pm at the Tony Bezzina Stadium but the Malta Premier said that due to the uncertainty of the weather conditions and to protect the football pitch in Paola, they decided to move the match back by almost three hours to the Centenary Stadium.
Floriana are still hurting after their heartbreaking FA Trophy elimination at the hands of Żabbar on Wednesday. The Saints produced a resilient display to hold their more-quoted opponents to a goalless draw after extra-time before prevailing in a penalty shoot-out.
Daniel Portela, the Floriana coach, said that his team’s failure to take their chances came back to haunt them on Wednesday and expects his players to take a different approach tomorrow.
“In the last game on Wednesday against Żabbar, we couldn’t score, and even though we didn’t lose, we were eliminated,” Portela said.
The Closing Round is a different challenge; it requires a different approach and style of play. I believe it’s tougher than the Opening Round.
“Of course, we’re disappointed to be out of the cup, but we have to move on and face the challenges ahead.
“We’re building a strong team, if you compare how we started the season to now, there’s a clear difference; it almost feels like two different leagues.
“Every game is an opportunity to improve. It’s not about how we start, but how we finish.
“We need to be solid defensively and more efficient in front of goal.”
On his part, goalkeeper Guilhermer Cioletti opened up on the challenges that he has been facing at the club during the past few weeks.
“We train on a synthetic pitch, and at first, I found it difficult to adapt especially being a goalkeeper,” Cioletti said.
“It’s not easy if you’re not used to artificial surfaces. But I’ve managed, and I’m giving my all to help the team.
“Against Mosta, I conceded the earliest goal of my career, but that’s football. The key for us is collective effort, every player understands what it means to win for this club.
“When we win, we win together; when we lose, we lose together.
“With so many new players, it’s not easy to gel immediately, but I believe in the depth and quality of this group.
We’ll bounce back quickly, starting with Sunday’s match against the same opponents who eliminated us from the Cup.”
Hard work
On his part, Żabbar coach Aniello Parisi was elated with his team’s famous cup win but conceded that his team needed to work harder in order to achieve better results in the league, where the team is still without a point after two outings.
“Tactically, there are areas we’re working very hard on,” Parisi said.
“These things take time, and we’re holding specific training sessions to address them.
We have good players, but several of our younger ones are still adapting.
“They’re eager and progressing well, but they still need to develop a deeper understanding of tactical play.
“We know what needs to be done, it’s not just about improving our level of performance, but also about translating our hard work in training into results on the pitch, helping us earn points and climb the table.”
Żabbar’s win over Floriana on Wednesday was remarkable given the high number of young players that played for the club and Jurgen Pisani said that the club has a bright future with the young talent they possess.
“The youngsters are learning,” Pisani said.
“In training, they’re eager, they give their hundred percent, and they have a bright future ahead.
“As experienced players, we try to guide them, they see us as role models, and we do our best to support the coaching staff and help these young players grow.
“We’re creating chances, but we’re missing something in the final third, we’re not being clinical enough. It’s important now to start putting points on the board.
“We’re coming off two straight league defeats at the start of the Closing Round, so hopefully the cup win against the same opponents on Sunday can boost our confidence going into the upcoming league matches.”
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