Match Day 11, which is also the last day of the first round in the 2021/22 BOV Premier Division, brings some catchy encounters and also another morning kick-off. Three of the six encounters are real classics, each played around 200 times or more in history of Maltese football.
Mosta v Gudja United – 04.12.2021 (14.00 hrs) – Tony Bezzina StadiumThe first clash of Match Day 11 between Mosta and Gudja is set to be a massively important relegation six-pointer. While Mosta sit on ninth place with ten points outside the drop zone, Gudja are two places and three points behind in the relegation zone. It seems that time is running out for both teams. A win is needed for Mosta to keep their Top Six aspirations alive, while Gudja need to turn things around as they suffered five successive defeats. Mosta registered only one win in their last five matches.Mosta welcome back wing back Jonas Rodriguez-Ekani, but will be without the suspended duo Tyrone Farrugia and Sunday Akinbule. On the other hand, Gudja coach Jesmond Zammit should have a full squad to choose from. It will be the 27th time both teams meet in history. Gudja have never beaten Mosta in the Premier Division. Last season, Mosta and Gudja drew 2-2 in their 1st round match while Mosta defeated Gudja 1-0 in the 2nd round. The season before, the match was only played once with Mosta coming out victors with a 1-0 win. In fact, the last time Gudja beat Mosta was 33 years ago, a 1-0 win in the 1st Division 1988/89! Valletta v Birkirkara – 04.12.2021 (16.00 hrs) – National StadiumTomorrow afternoon, old rivals Valletta and Birkirkara cross swords for a second-place berth. The Stripes still sit one point behind the Lilywhites after they both secured a win in their last outing, against Sliema Wanderers (2-0) and Mosta (3-1) respectively. Written off after their poor start to the season, Valletta are showing signs of maturity and ruthlessness as they brushed Mosta aside with relative ease. As for Birkirkara, they breezed past the Wanderers courtesy of a brace from Luke Montebello after picking up just one point in their last three matches. Birkirkara will be strengthened by the return of Enrico Pepe and Oscar Carniello from suspension while Valletta most probably will field an unchanged starting formation. The match is a true classic, the 179th time both teams will meet in an official match. Last season, Valletta won the 1st round match 4-2, but Birkirkara took revenge in the 2nd round with a resolute 2-0 win. However, looking at the most recent results, Birkirkara only beat Valletta twice in the last 13 encounters, which makes Valletta the clear favourites to win the encounter. Sirens v Gzira United – 04.12.2021 (18.00 hrs) – Tony Bezzina StadiumThis is a mid-table encounter between Sirens and Gzira United with both teams in search of a victory if they are to make a charge for a Top Six place birth. They go into this game with a point difference as Sirens sit in sixth position. But a victory for the Maroons would see them leapfrog their opponents. In reality, both team’s Premier League campaign has been a disappointment after setting great expectations. Their main objective was to qualify for Europe next season and therefore they must win as many points as possible to try to climb the table. Nothing is impossible because the teams above are not so far but they cannot afford to drop more points. Their morale should be high as both teams registered a win in their last outing – against Floriana (2-1) and Gudja United (3-2) respectively. While defender Steve Borg is still nursing an injury, the Maroons welcome back Gabriel Mentz from suspension. Sirens coach Winston Muscat would be able field an unchanged team. It will be the 14th time both teams meet and the history of this game shows a remarkable trend. Sirens did not even manage to beat Gzira once in their first eleven mutual encounters (8 Gzira wins, 3 draws), but Sirens have beaten Gzira twice in the last two Premier Division games, 1-0 last season and an identical solitary goal win during season 2019/20. Sliema Wanderers v Hamrun Spartans – 05.12.2021 (11.30 hrs) – National StadiumThis classic of Maltese football (182nd encounter in history) is another difficult test for bottom side Sliema Wanderers. A win for the Wanderers is imperative as the next games will determine their season. They cannot lose touch with the teams above the drop zone, while a Top Six birth seems impossible should they face another loss.On the other hand, after slipping to sixth in the table, nine points off the top, a defeat for Hamrun Spartans would signal the end of their title hopes as they cannot afford any more setbacks.Both teams have two players suspended - Edmond Agius and Valmir Berisha for Sliema, while Darko Gojkovic and Faissal El Bakhtaoui are absent for Hamrun. Last season, Hamrun beat Sliema 2-0, their first win over the Blues since 2017. The first time both teams met was already in January 1912, nearly 110 years ago, a true classic game which breaths history! Hibernians v Floriana – 05.12.2021 (16.00 hrs) – National StadiumAfter suffering a worrying and depressing 2-1 defeat against Sirens, Floriana face the most difficult obstacle when they meet unbeaten leaders Hibernians. They struggled to keep momentum and failed to contain their opponents in a match where they were outplayed by Sirens. This defeat puts more pressure on the Greens to finish in the top six, which will intensify if they get nothing out of this encounter as they could possibly be leapfrogged by three other teams. On the other hand, the Paolites have produced yet another matured performance in their 2-1 win over Balzan with such combinations and fluidity especially in the final third, led by Jake Grech who is their main man. He is a natural leader and possesses quality and technique. During the last match he showcased his attributes again, netting the winning goal and now tops the scoring charts with seven goals. Apart from that, he is the only player to be voted four times as best player of the match. Hibernians will be boosted by the return of Leandro Almeida from suspension but Jan Busuttil will be absent for Floriana through injury. Last season’s results were a 3-1 win for Hibernians in the 1st round, followed by a 1-1 draw in the 2nd round. In fact, the last time Floriana beat Hibernians dates back of September 2018 (2-0). Santa Lucia v Balzan – 05.12.2021 (18.00 hrs) – Tony Bezzina StadiumThis encounter is between to teams who suffered a defeat in their last match – Santa Lucia against Hamrun Spartans (0-3) and Balzan against Hibernians (1-2). Balzan seemed they have recovered from a slow start to the campaign but they were brought down to earth by the leaders after three successive wins. They are meeting struggling Santa Lucia who sit in tenth place, six points behind a Top Six birth, which could save their season.Balzan, who start as firm favourites, should not underestimate their opponents. But this is an opportunity for them to use this game as a motivation to return to winning ways as their main objective is to finish inside the top four and European Cup qualification Victor Filho and Jame Zerafa return from suspension for Santa Lucia but Jurgen Pisani and Andre Prates are suspended. As for Balzan, coach Paul Zammit has a full squad available. This will be the 21st time both teams will meet in an official match, with Balzan winning nine, Santa Lucia three and eight draws. Last season the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The last time Santa Lucia beat Balzan was in the 2nd Division 93/94, an emphatic 5-2 win at Pace Grasso!