ĦAMRUN SPARTANS 2BIRKIRKARA 1 Caetano Calil stole the show as his brace handed Ħamrun Spartans a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Birkirkara in Friday’s BOV Premier League match at the Centenary Stadium.
With this win, the Spartans have joined the Stripes on the 12-point mark with the latter suffering their third defeat in the last four matches. It was Birkirkara who took the lead on eight minutes when Marcelinho’s effort was partially saved by Manuel Bartolo and Carlos Alberto Chavarria scored from the rebound. The Spartans levelled 10 minutes from half-time. Debutant Wilfried Domoraud provided the assist from the left and Calil rifled past Kristijan Naumovski. Ten minutes into the second half, Birkirkara threatened when Michael Mifsud set up Mislav Andelkovic whose drive was pushed away by Bartolo onto the upright and away for a corner. With 17 minutes left, the Spartans struck the winner thanks to a strong drive by Calil. BOV player of the match: Caetano Calil (Ħamrun Spartans). THE OTHER MATCHES Tarxien Rainbows vs Qormi (Saturday, Centenary Stadium – 3pm)This is a game between two teams languishing in the lower rungs of the table. Both Tarxien and Qormi are coming from identical 2-0 defeats against Birkirkara and St Andrews respectively. The Rainbows have lost their last three games while Qormi have no points from their last four outings… both teams are under pressure to win this direct clash. Gaetano Gesualdi returns for Qormi but Tensior Gusman will be serving the second of a three-match ban. Tarxien welcome back Italian striker Michele Paolucci who has completed a three-match suspension. Gżira United vs Balzan (Saturday, Centenary Stadium – 5.15pm)This game is a difficult test for both Gżira United and Balzan as it’s a direct encounter between two title hopefuls. The Maroons, on top of the BOV Premier League, are the only unbeaten team so far this season. They will be without their influential captain Andrew Cohen who has been suspended for three games following his sending-off against Senglea. Balzan’s morale is sky-high after their 2-0 victory over Floriana. Floriana vs Pietà Hotspurs (Saturday, Victor Tedesco Stadium – 3.00 pm)Floriana can hardly afford to drop any points from this tricky game against Pietà Hotspurs as the Greens have been inconsistent so far this season. They have some work to do to rejoin the race for a UEFA Europa League berth after dropping further down the table following their 2-0 defeat to Balzan. Pietà Hotspurs are coming from a 4-0 defeat to Valletta. They are regarded as the underdogs for this match but will surely be aiming to surprise their opponents as they look for their second win this season. Nigerian striker Paul Chimezie returns for the Hotspurs. Valletta vs Mosta (Saturday, Victor Tedesco Stadium – 5.15pm)The in-form Valletta will be going all out to make it six consecutive wins when they meet Mosta. Their strikers, Italian Mario Fontanella and Montenegrin Bojan Kaljevic, have scored 17 goals between them with the former leading the top scorers chart with nine goals. The champions start as favourites but they are unlikely to underestimate Mosta who are struggling for consistency. The Blues have obtained just one point from their last four games. While Mosta have all the players available, Valletta will be without Joseph Zerafa, suspended. St Andrews v Senglea Athletic (Monday, Centenary Stadium – 6pm)St Andrews go into this clash with bottom side Senglea Athletic on a high after back-to-back wins over Birkirkara and Qormi. At the moment, the Saints are eight points clear of Senglea. A win for St Andrews would move them closer to mid-table and further boost their chances of avoiding relegation… leaving Senglea Athletic in troubled waters. However, a win for the latter would open up the relegation fight. Ferdinando Salvati is suspended for Senglea after being shown his fourth yellow card in the 1-0 defeat to Gżira United. Sliema Wanderers v Hibernians (Monday, Centenary Stadium – 8.15pm)Match day eight concludes with the classic encounter between Sliema Wanderers and Hibernians. Just one point separates the two teams and both will be determined to bag the three points and keep the pace at the top of the standings. Sliema, in second place, have not lost in the last four games while Hibernians have registered three consecutive wins. Both teams are expected to field their best formation in what promises to be a close and hard-fought encounter. These two teams have met 190 times… Hibernians have won 58 of these direct matches and the Wanderers prevailed 86 times.