by Hibernians and Swieqi will be meeting at the Centenary Stadium at 20:15. Kenneth Costantino and Dorianne Theuma backed their teams to continue showing up as the teams draw toward their final four encounters in an unprecedented title race.
On Breaks & Restarts
The two sides head into tonight’s fixture on equal points, with four games to play and a title chance very much in place.
It will be the first match for Hibernians following the international break. Kenneth Costantino discussed the break as a fruitful one with players at his disposal, while a few were out on international duty. “We only had two players on international call from the seniors, but also a few from the youth teams. It gives us the opportunity to work on some specific areas and hopefully recover some energy after some not so positive results.”
In terms of injuries during the break, the Hibernians’ coach replied, “We did suffer an injury to Jessica Dimech and we are evaluating all possibilities, but also a few other minor injuries which we need to consider in the best interests of our players.”
Swieqi United’s return to the league was earlier, as the side fell to a 2 – 0 defeat to Mgarr United on Sunday. Dorianne Theuma assessed the defeat, “I believe it was a balanced game, however we did not capitalise on the chances we had especially in the first half of the game. We have to be more clinical the chances we create, it is one of the things which has affected us most this season. We did give away a sloppy penalty and paid the price, that’s football.”
However, there was a positive for the team as Andjela Kricak debuted for the side. Dorianne Theuma gave her view on how she feels the Serbian can contribute to the team, “Andjela brings more experience to our young squad, something we lack compared to other teams. She is a technical player and reads the game very well. It’s always a pleasure to add players of her calibre to the squad. We increase intensity during training and healthy competition, which is important for us.”
The Pressures Of An Unprecedented Title Race
As noted above, Hibernians and Swieqi United are tied on points, joined by Mgarr United who are also on 39 at the top of the table. Birkirkara are just outsiders on 34 but very much still in the race with only direct confrontations to be played.
The two coaches were probed on their thoughts of the squad and staff dealing with the pressures of the title race as things head to a close.
Kenneth Costantino reflected, “The points table says it all. Three team with equal points at this stage shows how close the league is. And still, Birkirkara are just breathing down our necks. I think this league could go down to the last minutes of the last game. Hence, we need to concentrate and take charge of our own performances. I surely back my team to stand up to the occasion.”
Meanwhile, Dorianne Theuma also showed faith in her side to bounce back from last week’s defeat and push on, “This is not our first defeat this season and we always handled our defeats relatively well. I’m sure this will be no different. As said before, it was a balanced game and there were also a lot of positives to take home. We will look at it as a full ninety minutes, learn and move onto the next.”
Closing Off The Round
Tonight’s match will set the two teams against each other for the fourth time this season. Their next meet will be the final league encounter will be the final matchday of the Assikura Women’s League. The two teams won a game apiece, while deadlocked on the other occasion, and the statistics don’t lie with the confrontations becoming increasingly tactical and pondered.
The two coaches were probed on whether they believe this match requires some different approach in terms of players fielded, system or dynamic to break free in the table. Unsurprisingly, neither was willing to give too much away from their playbook, but the desire to earn the points is telling.
Kenneth Costantino replied, “I think we have shown to be consistent with our playing ideology and although many players have been given the opportunity to start we will definitely look at current form. Many players have shown sharpness over the past couple of days and this will make our decision even harder. At the end football is a simple game – you need to concede one less than your opponents or score one more, depending on how you look at it.”
His counterpart, Dorianne Theuma, replied, “We had other opportunities to create separation in the table, but honestly we are taking it game by game and not adding any additional pressure. Given how last season ended, we are truly happy with our current position in the league. We will continue to play as we have in recent matches. Every player has worked extremely hard to get us to this point, and we deserve to be having such an important season. Our focus remains on improving with each game.”
As with any other match, three points are at stake for those bold enough to go for them. The two teams will battle it out under the floodlights of the Centenary Stadium at 20:15.
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
Make sure to never miss an Assikura Women’s League match by syncing your calendar here.
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
