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Old Firm Derby on this weekend

Published: 17-12-2021 12:20
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Six intriguing fixtures were planned for tomorrow  dand Sunday, with much at stake for each of the twelve clubs involved on Match Day 13 of the 2021/22 BOV Premier Division.  However late on Friday afternoon, Hamrun Spartans vs Birkirkara was postponed to a later date as the latter was hit by Covid-19 cases.  The other five fixtures include the old firm between Floriana and Sliema Wanderers, edition number 284, and Valletta's tricky clash with Balzan.    Gzira United v Santa Lucia – 18.12.2021 (14.00 hrs) – Tony Bezzina StadiumGzira United are facing Santa Lucia, a clash between two teams who suffered an identical 3-1 defeat in their last match. After taking an early lead courtesy of Maxuell Samurai, the Maroons were stunned by leaders Hibernians who are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League this season. Despite playing attractive football especially in the first half, this defeat saw them slip to seventh place and their objective to finish in the top four took another twist. On the other hand, Santa Lucia succumbed to a defeat against Floriana. Still in the thick of the relegation battle, the Lucians were hoping for a positive result. A dismal display over the course of the 90 minutes has plunged them further into the danger zone as they were outplayed in every aspect of the game. Santa Lucia will have to do without suspended playmaker Alan da Silva Souza while, apart from the long-term injuries of Thiaguinho and Ricardo Correa, all players are available for Gzira United. The first-round match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Maxuell Samurai scoring for Gzira and Gianmarco Conti for Santa Lucia. It will be the 26th time in history that both teams meet, the fifth time in the Premier Division. Only once Santa Lucia managed to beat Gzira in the MPL, which was a 2-1 win during season 2019/20. Overall, they have beaten the Maroons three times in the previous 25 encounters. Hamrun Spartans v Birkirkara – 18.12.2021 (16.00 hrs) – National Stadium (Postponed)This is the standout fixture of the weekend. Hamrun Spartans climbed to second place following a narrow 1-0 victory over Valletta. The Spartans have won five matches in the last six games, gaining momentum ahead of an important run of fixtures as they will play Birkirkara, Mosta, Balzan, Floriana and Gzira United respectively. Last season, Hamrun were the most entertaining team to watch but after a disappointing start to the campaign they have somewhat changed their strategy and are playing with more maturity and consistency. In fact, in the last six games, they scored 10 goals and conceded only 2.After winning only one match in their last six outings (drawing three and losing two), this is a tough task for Birkirkara. The 2-2 draw against Mosta was the latest setback to the Stripes’ hopes of challenging for the title as they lost a big opportunity to take the three points and get closer to leaders Hibernians. Against the defending champions they need to improve, hoping to register a double after defeating them 2-1 in the first round with goals by Luke Montebello, Federico Falcone (B) and Ailton Soares ‘Dodo’ for Hamrun. The last one is still out with a long-term injury. Ryan Scicluna is suspended for Birkirkara after picking the fourth yellow card against Mosta, while Federico Falcone and Kurt Zammit are side-lined through injury. It will be the 118th clash in history between the two, with Birkirkara winning 50 of the previous 117, Hamrun 40 and 27 draws. Looking at the last ten encounters played, Birkirkara won six, Hamrun three and one match ended in a draw.Mosta v Sirens – 18.12.2021 (18.00 hrs) – Tony Bezzina StadiumThis is an encounter between two neighbours who are struggling against relegation, even though Sirens are five points above the red zone.  In their last outing they were involved in a goalless draw against Gudja United which leaves them with just one win from their last five games. They struggled to create chances and never took advantage of their numerical superiority when Gudja were down to nine men after the sending-off of Farid Zuniga early in the second half, after both teams had a player red-carded on 18 minutes,Mosta should embrace the challenge against Sirens as they target their first win in five matches. They have only picked up two points from a possible 12 and now sit only one point above the relegation zone. Therefore, they should deliver a good performance and focus on the importance of the result. A win takes them just one point behind Sirens in which they could build possible chances for survival. In the first round both teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with goals by Kemar Reid for Sirens and Zachary Brincat for Mosta. It will be only the 11th time that both teams meet in an official MFA senior match. Mosta have never beaten Sirens in the Premier Division, as the last three matches ended all in a draw, while Sirens registered a double over Mosta in season 2019/20. In fact, the last time Mosta beat Sirens was in June 1993, in the Final of the 1992/93 2nd & 3rd Division Knock Out Cup.While Mosta have no concerns over missing players, Sirens will be without the suspended duo Fernando Brandan and Carlo Zammit Lonardelli.   Gudja United v Hibernians – 19.12.2021 (11.30 hrs) – Tony Bezzina StadiumLeague leaders Hibernians face Gudja United and start as firm favourites in securing another victory after they defeated them by the odd goal in three in the first round. The Paolites returned to winning ways after last weekend as they extended their advantage at the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Gzira United. With an emphatic display they turned a defeat into victory after they settled into their rhythm orchestrated by Jake Grech who also put his name on the scoresheet after Jurgen Degabriele netted a brace. Gudja United are flirting with relegation and hope things could turn round for them to steer away from the red zone and become a much more stable team. But the clash against the leaders could prove costly as they are without the suspended Tensior Gusman and Farid Zuniga after being sent off against Sirens. It will be only the sixth time in history that both teams meet, with Hibernians winning four of the previous five encounters. Only once Gudja managed to get a positive result against the Blacks, which was a 1-1 draw during season 2019/20.Floriana v Sliema Wanderers – 19.12.2021 (14.00 hrs) – National StadiumFloriana cross swords with old foes Sliema Wanderers as this is another difficult obstacle for the Blues. These are worrying days for the Wanderers as their plight at the bottom of the table of the Premier League continued with a 2-0 defeat against Hamrun Spartans in their last outing. Last weekend, their clash with Balzan was called off because of Covid-19 cases. More worryingly for the Wanderers is that their direct rivals have earned points and could start to drift away into safety. Floriana need a win to keep up with the big guns in the fight for a Top Six birth. The Greens earned a comfortable 3-1 win against Sta Lucia and given their recent results; they certainly are not a team anyone will look forward to facing them. Although Floriana and Sliema had to settle to a goalless draw in the first round, it was the Greens who dominated the affair but were kept at bay by the brilliant and spectacular saves from Timothy Aquilina. Floriana will be without Christian Rutjens and Jose Arias who were shown the fourth yellow card against Sta Lucia while Oualid El Hasni could return from injury. On the other hand, Julius Bliek will be the only absentee for Sliema through suspension. With 283 previous encounters, the ‘old firm’ is the most played match in history of Maltese football, with both clubs clashing already in the very first 1909/10 Maltese Championship, more then 100 years ago. Looking at the last ten meetings, Sliema hold a slight upper hand with four wins, Floriana won three and three games ended in a draw. Balzan v Valletta – 19.12.2021 (18.00 hrs) – National StadiumBalzan face Valletta in a game which could easily go either way.Paul Zammit’s side sit in sixth place with a game in hand and will be looking for a win to climb the table. In their last outing, they were held to a 3-3 draw by Santa Lucia, their advantage was twice cancelled by Brazilian strikers Leo Bahia and Alan. In reality, a vital win is needed to bounce back to winning ways to start the second round strongly.Even the Lilywhites need to bounce back after they surrendered to a 1-0 defeat against Hamrun Spartans thanks to an unfortunate own goal by Haris Dilaver. Valletta’s morale and mood is a bit low after “battling” for four points in three matches and must not lose more ground to leaders Hibernians. Both teams have a full squad of players available apart of some players who are on the long injury list, like Michael Johnson, who should be back mid-January, and Samir Arab, both for Balzan.