Hibernians and Mosta have no margin for error in crucial relegation clash

Hibernians and Mosta are among four teams battling to avoid the bottom two places with just four points separating third-placed Hibernians from bottom-placed Mosta.

A win for the Paolites would all but assure them of top-flight football for next season while for Mosta, nothing less than the three points will do to keep alive their hopes of avoiding the bottom two places.

Hibernians coach Andrei Agius admits that his players are feeling the pressure of a relegation battle but is urging them to enjoy themselves on the pitch and play freely as they chase three crucial points.

“The most important match is on Friday,” Agius said.

“Since I took over, we have addressed several issues.

“Apart from the matches against Tarxien and Naxxar, I believe we have consistently been imposing our game, but at the same time, we are fully aware that we are struggling at the moment to find the net.

“We are doing our best to maximize the potential of every player in the squad.

“Mosta have quality players who can cause a lot of damage.

“We must keep focused in what we’re doing in our aim to overcome this difficult period, we know our task ahead, two matches left, but our focus is on the 90 minutes on Friday against Mosta.

“There is pressure as we are still flirting in perilous waters, but extra pressure is pointless, my players know and are advised to play freely, enjoy themselves, perform well, and possibly that strong performance will translate into three meaningful points in the game ahead”.

Club captain Bjorn Kristensen made it clear the three points are imperative against Mosta and backed his team to be more clinical in front of goal.

“We’ve endured a difficult campaign, these matches when struggling near the bottom are mentally very tough,” Kristensen said.

“The mental aspect often overtakes the physical one. We are always well prepared well, but mistakes do happen.

“We are fully aware that Friday’s match is imperative to get the three points, even though it also depends on the other matches this weekend, so we could head to our final match against Żabbar in a strong position.

“Scoring goals is a fundamental area in the game, which is very important.

“Goals win you matches, since Lucas Villela left, the team has struggled, but I’m positive that other players in the attacking unit will step up and do a job, starting from Friday’s match”.

On the other hand, Mosta have little margin of error, but of more concern is the fact that last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Sliema Wanderers, where they threw away a two-goal lead, has taken away control of their own destiny as they will hope other results go their way to keep their hopes of avoiding the bottom two places.

“We are depending on other results, but we know that if we win on Friday, we will be in control going into the final match against Birkirkara,” Mosta’s technical director, Mario Muscat, said.

“Against Sliema on Sunday in Gozo, we played well and deserved more than just a point. Bearing in mind that we faced a very strong side, it is still a good result, although it was very upsetting to concede an equaliser in the 89th minute after leading for most of the game.

“If I have to analyse the Closing Round, there were many matches where we performed well but lost narrowly, even against the bigger clubs.

“Then the unexpected Ħamrun win came along, which gave us the confidence to not throw the towel without a fight till the very end.

“Hard work in training and the impactful January signings all contributed to keep us believing till the very end”.

On his part, Nevin Portelli, one of Mosta’s top performers in recent weeks, said that the team’s mental approach is still that of trying every match they play.

“We approach every game aiming to win,” Portelli said.

“The pressure at the bottom of the table is not easy.

“We take it game by game. In recent matches, we have been scoring a lot of goals, but defensively, we are still struggling.

“Against Sliema, we faced one of the best teams in Malta; our performance was great, but still disappointed with the end outcome in those 90 minutes.

“Now we are looking forward to the match on Friday against Hibernians, we will be doing our best to get all three points, allowing us to keep believing.

“Mosta allowed me to express myself, and I am grateful to everyone at the club for helping me rediscover my form.