by Lija Athletic will be facing San Gwann at the Centenary Stadium at 20:30 in their penultimate league match of the season. Jethron Azzopardi & Julian Camilleri discussed recent performances and the context of tonight’s fixture in view of the table and the looming Knockout competition.
Desiring More
There’s just two more league matches to be played for these two teams. Lija Athletic head into the fixture in third place after the side could not overcome Valletta to open a gap in second place of the Bottom Four pool last Friday, succumbing to a 2 – 0 defeat.
Lija Athletic appeared unable to combine effectively in attack , with Jethron Azzopardi questioned on whether this was a mark of pressure on his team or credit to Valletta’s defensive organisation. The Lija Athletic coach thought it was a mix of things, “We were missing some elements that affected our attacking play. Valletta were tactically prepared well to counter our offence.”
On the other hand, San Gwann continued their winning form, with a 2 – 0 victory against Mtarfa to extend their lead at the top to more than ten points.
Although secure in their place, San Gwann’s coach Julian Camilleri admitted he wished for more from his team in the opening half. Questioned about the control over the performance, he replied, “I was not completely satisfied in the first half. I felt we were too soft to press and took things a bit too easy. I thought we did better in the second half and were more convinced in what we wanted out of the match.”
Pushing For More
The two teams will be meeting for the fifth time this season. San Gwann had the upper hand in the first three encounters, before Lija Athletic dealt a surprise in their most recent encounter. It was the first and still is the only defeat that San Gwann were dealt by any of their Bottom Four rivals this season.
Second place in the Group is still up for grabs for Lija Athletic and a victory this evening would certainly push them in a strong direction for the final match of the season. Jethron Azzopardi did not give anything away in terms of the impacts of the previous win against San Gwann on tonight’s match.
The Lija Athletic coach suggested the team will be putting their best foot forward despite absences, “We are still missing important players but we will try our best to give a battle and try to get the three points.”
Meanwhile San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri was questioned whether the previous defeat to Lija Athletic gives his team some extra motivation for this match, considering that their place is secure. He urged his team to take the matches seriously. He said, “The league is not yet over and we cannot dip in our performances. We must keep our winning momentum to retain the respect of our rivals. So, our mentality must be that we keep approaching each match as if it is a final.”
Discussing the preparation as they head into the match, Julian Camilleri is looking to maintain a winning form with another competition looming on the horizon. He said, “We are tactically ready but we must become mentally stronger. Despite having our place secure in the league, there is still the Knockout to also be played.”
The two teams will be playing their penultimate league match at the Centenary Stadium at 20:15 tonight. Mtarfa and Valletta will be also meeting at the Charles Abela Stadium at 20:30 this evening.
Lead Images: Elise Bajada
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[…] take to the pitch at the Charles Abela Stadium at 20:30. The other Bottom Four encounter between Lija Athletic & San Gwann will be played at the Centenary Stadium at […]