Mġarr United eye domestic treble as Assikura Women’s Knockout begins

The Greens have already enjoyed a remarkable campaign, having secured the league title and the Jubilee Cup. They were presented with the league trophy last weekend after comfortably defeating Hibernians to complete an unbeaten league season. Earlier in the campaign, they had also overcome the Paolites to lift the special edition of the Jubilee Cup.

Mġarr begin their Knockout campaign this Saturday with a quarter-final clash against San Ġwann. Should they live up to expectations and overcome a side that finished second from bottom in the league, they will once again face Hibernians, this time in the semi-finals.

The Greens will once again rely on their strong attacking unit, led by top scorer Valeria Villegas, alongside Maria Hernandez, Josline N’Guessan, Alejandra Villegas and Malta international Yulya Carella, who has been a key player throughout the season.

Coach Ryan Vella has also been boosted by the return of midfielder Veronique Mifsud from a long-term injury, giving him more options in midfield. However, energetic full-back Rebecca Bajada will miss the competition due to a knee injury.

San Ġwann, meanwhile, ended their league campaign on six points and parted ways with coach Julian Camilleri in the final stages of the season, making their task even more challenging.

The other quarter-final tie sees Birkirkara take on Swieqi United in what promises to be a very balanced encounter. The winner of this tie will face Valletta, who finished bottom of the league, in the semi-finals.

After a difficult start to the season, which led to the departure of coach Billy Mock, Birkirkara showed significant improvement in the second half of the campaign.

Although they finished fourth with 32 points, their recent form has been impressive, including a 1-1 draw against Mġarr, a 1-0 win over Swieqi and a convincing 3-0 victory against Hibernians.

Much of their attacking threat has come from Japanese midfielder Momo Ueda, who finished as the league’s third top scorer with 15 goals. The Stripes are now under the guidance of coach Charlene Zammit.

Swieqi United, last season’s league champions, finished second this season. The combined 38 goals scored by Sara Saliba and Salamatu Abdulai were not enough to secure back-to-back league titles, but coach Dorianne Theuma will be hoping their attacking strength can help them add the Knockout trophy to the Super Cup they won last December, when they defeated Mġarr in the final.

The semi-finals will be played on April 25, with the final scheduled for May 1.

FIXTURES

SATURDAY
San Ġwann vs Mġarr United – 1pm, Dingli Ground
Birkirkara vs Swieqi United – 3.30pm, Dingli Ground