Match Preview: Birkirkara vs Hibernians

Birkirkara and Hibernians will kick-off a highly anticipated double-header at Mgarr Ground at 14:00, with their match followed by Swieqi United against Mgarr United. The results of the two matches could possibly conclude the title race this afternoon. Jose’ Borg made the Stripes’ intentions to put one hand on the trophy with a victory against the title record holders clear, while Kenneth Costantino is readying his troops to put on their best display despite increased injury woes over the international break.

Edging Closer

Birkirkara made an important step in downing their nearest rivals, Swieqi United, for the first time in the league this season just before the break to open an eight point lead which puts them firmly in the driving seat for the title.

Birkirkara’s coach Jose’ Borg was elated by the performance, “We knew that the Swieqi match was important on the bearing of the title and in my opinion we had an almost perfect performance to bring home a 3-1 win against our closest rivals. I will say that this puts us in a much better position toward earning the twelfth league title for Birkirkara.”

The victory also means that Birkirkara have successfully managed a win over all teams in the league this season, which Borg welcomed as another important feat, “Although we had won against Swieqi United in the Super Cup, it is good to get the victory in the league so that now we have managed to win against all teams and confirm our dominance in the league.”

On the other hand, Hibernians have been on their own path this season, in search of getting closer to the top of the table, while at least finishing in a better position than last year. The match against Mgarr United appeared a laborious one for both teams, but Hibernians edged out the victory nonetheless.

Hibernians had spells of great attacking intent, but appeared to take a step back at times. Asked whether this was a reflection of the balance of the match or a planned approach, coach Kenneth Costantino responded, “I think the matches against Mgarr are always a close affair. The positive is that we did not concede a goal for the second game running. As evident, we had key players missing like Zeeyana (Jivraj) and Nicole (Sciberras). Nevertheless, I believe we were the better team and only risked during the last fifteen minutes, probably due to fatigue. We have to modify our game plan due to the missing players and the exigencies.”

Pride In Seeing Players Shine On The International Stage

Malta’s senior and U17 teams featured a number of players from both Birkirkara and Hibernians. Asked about the pride in seeing the development worked on put also to the test on the international stage, Borg replied, “I’m very proud not of only Birkirkara players, but all the Maltese team that competed and got good results in both the senior and U17 teams. I am of course happy to see that most of my players took part in the games and had good performances.”

Probed about Alishia Sultana’s goalscoring contributions, Borg added, “I’m very happy for her personally because it will give her another boost and puts her in a great position toward wrapping up the strong season that she has had with Birkirkara.”

Hibernians’ Kenneth Costantino voiced similar pride, “Having players selected for the national team is always a matter of joy for us and the players. Of course we are proud to see a larger number selected. In a way it is a reward for the work carried out. I still fondly recall the first call up of a number of players with the senior national team who now have established themselves well. Definitely it is a boost to our players’ motivation as well.”

However, Costantino had one qualm, “The only disappointment I have is the way a player was treated by the medical team which now leaves us with more injury issues.”

The Final Stretches

The situation in the league table puts Birkirkara within sight of the title having an eight point gap with four matches to go. Winning the match would put pressure on Swieqi United to deliver a victory to extend the league by another week. Should Birkirkara win the match, Swieqi United must also grab the three points to avoid mathematically relinquishing the league title this afternoon.

Asked about preparing for such a crucial encounter, Jose’ Borg weighed in, “As from day one I always told the team that it was going to be a tough league because of all the teams gearing up with good players and coaches. The league format added another element because we knew that if we won the direct encounters early on it would put us in a strong position early. This is what has happened, to put us in a position where we could win the league with three matches to go.”

He continued, “Today we look forward to the match and we will do our best to get the three points. We know that doing that will then depend on Swieqi United’s outcome. Anything that comes beyond our result is a bonus for us, but what we focus on is getting our result and then we focus on next week’s game.”

On the other hand, Hibernians will be well aware of Birkirkara’s targets, but will come into the match with their own agenda in search of sealing a second place finish. Kenneth Costantino provided a level-headed response in anticipation of the match, “As always we play each game with the intent to win. We then need to be realistic about the fact that we have not won against Birkirkara for a very long time. Their quality and squad depth are second to none and to make things worse, the list of injuries on our side continues to take its toll. We prepare for each game meticulously irrespective of the opponents. Notwithstanding all the adversities, I must commend our players for their resilience, commitment and togetherness.”

The two teams will kick-off a highly anticipated double-header at Mgarr Ground at 14:00. Their match will be followed by the other top-four encounter between Swieqi United and Mgarr United (16:30).

Lead Images: Lara Schembri

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