Four teams out to boost futsal title hopes in semi-finals

The Gatorade Futsal League season has reached a decisive stage as the Elite Round semi-final play-offs will be played on Friday evening at the Corradino Pavilion. Title hopefuls Luxol set the ball rolling when they meet Swieqi United in the first leg of their semi-final at 20.00 followed by the much-awaited encounter between champions Valletta and Ħamrun Tre Angeli at 21.30. The second legs will be played next Friday. The clash between Valletta and rivals Ħamrun is expected to draw a sizeable crowd with both teams having high hopes of advancing to the best-of-three final. No doubt, the two semi-finalists will be looking to their Brazilian stalwarts, Raphinha for Valletta, and Everton Veve for Ħamrun Tre Angeli to provide the inspiration. The head-to-head record of the two teams points to another balanced encounter as Valletta won their first encounter 7-4 but Ħamrun prevailed in the second meeting, 6-5. Luxol, long established as one of the strongest sides on the local futsal scene, will be going all out to keep their title challenge on track after missing out on the final play-off last year. Luxol head into the play-offs as the first-placed team in the standings. They will also take heart from their emphatic victories over Swieqi United this season but the latter will surely try to make life more difficult for Luxol this time round as they seek to cause an upset.