Tarxien Rainbows and Żabbar St Patrick face must-win scenarios in relegation battle

Tarxien Rainbows and Żabbar St Patrick are engaged in a close fight to avoid finishing second from bottom in the standings and increase their hopes of retaining their Premier League status.

At present, both Tarxien and Żabbar are locked on 12 points and are sharing fifth spot in the standings with one match to go.

The Rainbows have no margin of error when they face Bottom 6 leaders, Sliema Wanderers, at the Centenary Stadium, as failure to pick up the win against the Blues and Żabbar take a point against Hibernians would condemn them to Challenge League football next season.

Coach Jacques Scerri is aware of the difficult task awaiting his team this evening but is banking on his team’s fighting spirit to ensure they avoid relegation.

“This has not been a plain sailing season for us,” Scerri told Times of Malta.

“The opening phase of the season was very difficult and in December we decided to overhaul our squad with a new set of foreign players. The team needed time to gel but in the past six or seven weeks, the players have shown remarkable heart and fighting spirit.

“In January, everyone thought that we would be the first team to be relegated but the players managed to steady the ship, and we managed to pick up valuable points in matches where we found ourselves behind, such as against Żabbar St Patrick, Mosta and Hibernians.

“Now we have another big test coming up, and we have a duty to give it our best shot in these final 90 minutes and see where it will take us.

“We are the underdogs in this relegation battle, as nobody gave us a chance. But whatever happens, I am so proud of this team.”

Żabbar also have a tough task on their hands when they face Hibernians at the Tony Bezzina Stadium.

The Saints are desperate to claw themselves out of the bottom two places, and coach Gilbert Agius wants his team to show the same attitude and determination displayed in the 1-1 draw against Sliema Wanderers last weekend.

“This is a do-or-die clash for us,” Agius said.

“The team is in a very difficult situation in the standings, and we need to play at our best to ensure we at least force a relegation decider.

“The last few weeks have been a bit disappointing as we dropped some precious points.

 “But I have been encouraged by the attitude and determination shown by my players in the last two matches and it’s important that we continue to build on that.

“If we show the same level of concentration and fighting spirit, I am confident we can get the result we need.”