Match Preview: Birkirkara vs Swieqi United

A blockbuster awaits at the Centenary Stadium tonight (20:15) as leaders Birkirkara take on second-placed Swieqi United in a bid bring home the title against their rivals. Birkirkara’s Jose’ Borg and Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma nodded to the teams’ collective performances to push the title chase to the final matchdays, while setting sights on a crucial ninety minutes in which every little detail will count, both on and off the pitch.

Keeping Up The Chase

A league season is made up of many moments which build and break the trajectory toward lifting a league title. At times, it is difficult to appreciate those moments throughout a long season, but tonight puts things into a crystal clear perspective. A draw will put Birkirkara in a mathematically unreachable position, confirming their title defence. In this regard, Swieqi United will take to the pitch certainly with the aim of earning the three points in search of pushing things to the final matchday.

The encounter between the two teams has been played many times this season, but in a campaign that has thrown up all sorts of surprises, the excitement bubbles for tonight’s fixture with even greater intensity as the top two teams in the league put their best feet forward toward their objectives once more.

They head into the penultimate league match on the back of earning victories against Mgarr United and Hibernians, respectively. Swieqi United kicked off the matchday with a 6-2 victory over Hibernians, but Birkirkara responded by getting the better of Mgarr United on Friday, to head into the final two matches with the five point lead intact.

Birkirkara’s night at the Victor Tedesco Stadium started on the front foot thanks to an early goal by Marta Grosso. The team saw out the victory, despite having to make do for most of the second half with ten players following the straight sending off of Charlene Zammit.

Birkirkara Jose’ Borg welcomed the three points despite the less than ideal scenario, “I’m happy we secured the three points. It’s true we had many players missing due to various reasons, so we had a very limited squad. The timing of the red card meant that we played almost a whole half with ten players, but I am very happy that we managed to maintain the score. We had plenty of possession even if we did not score more. All that matters at this stage is that we managed to get the three points and we look ahead to this next match.”

On their part, Swieqi United ultimately came out with a comfortable scoreline, but Hibernians were quick in their replies. Swieqi United captain, Dorianne Theuma, nodded to the importance of the victory, while acknowledging the areas for improvement, “Collectively we had a good game and enjoyed playing it, although at times we lacked concentration which led to us conceding two goals.”

Asked about the importance of getting the three points to push the title race to the final two matchdays, Swieqi United’s skipper replied, “This victory gave a boost to our morale and kept spirits high during the past training week, ultimately with the hope of ending the season on a good note.”

Stepping Up To The Task

Birkirkara’s depth has been applauded and perhaps envied at times throughout the season. The team took to the match against Mgarr United with a very young bench, who bring their own ambitions. However, it also made for the glaring absence of the more senior members, some missing through injuries and suspensions, among other elements.

The strength in depth will come in handy once more as the team will have to take to the pitch without Charlene Zammit. Speaking about the prospects, Jose’ Borg said, “The depth of the squad proved to be fundamental this season. We played games without Charlene at the back and Valentina (Rapa) did very well to fill those boots in the first round. Since then, we have also brought in Nano (Nanako Kobayashi) who has also done well. So, although Charlene’s absence will definitely be felt, I am sure that whoever replaces her will do a great job because I have full faith in the players that are in the squad.”

Similarly, Swieqi United have had a list of injuries that have plagued them, but have also done well in rotations to keep the team progressing. Last week Mariah Sciberras came into the fold also chipping in with a goal, while Dorianne Theuma grabbed two assists and a goal to boot. Many youngsters have also been crucial in the setup.

In fact, asked about the importance of squad depth to deal with the ordeals of the season, Dorianne Theuma replied, “We have quite a young squad, therefore more than half of the senior team also play in the Assikura Women’s Youth League (U19). In the past two weeks most of these players have had only one day of rest while juggling between the two leagues. It is very important to keep everyone fit and ready to rise to any occasion, although it is very challenging to keep everyone motivated and involved at times.”

The skipper continued by highlighting the positive stance of a young defender, “An example is with U19 player Thea Ida Scicluna, who was required to step up and break into the senior first eleven in a very crucial period of the league and has been performing extremely well.”

A Crucial Ninety

The two sides will take to the pitch clear on their agenda. Birkirkara dominated the previous encounter between the two, and with them knowing that any points would secure the title, they will certainly take to the pitch in a favourable position.

Asked about whether he believes Swieqi United will try to unsettle them, Birkirkara’s Jose’ Borg replied, “The game tonight is crucial for both teams. In our case we certainly need points to mathematically secure the league, while we know they need a win to push the league decider to the last day. I’m sure it’s not going to be an easy game. It’s true that we had a very positive game against them last time out, but as I always say each game has its own story. Nevertheless, we’ll try to secure the league against Swieqi United with a strong win.”

On the other hand, asked whether the team is ready to put up the necessary response to take the league decision to the final matchday, Dorianne Theuma nodded to the team’s work ethic but is focusing on the three points at hand, “Despite all the challenges and injuries the team faced this season, we still managed to stay motivated and work hard, to ultimately arrive at this point in the season, which is already a great achievement for us. Our main aim right now is to end the league on a high and grab the maximum points we can. The rest is out of our control.”

With most of the encounters having been fought tooth and nails, one can truly say that supporters have had a role to play in previous matches. Asked about the importance of having their faithful in the stands, Jose’ Borg nodded to the fact that logistically it will be difficult for the Birkirkara faithful to make it to the women’s team match, since the senior men’s team’s match against Naxxar Lions will finish just fifteen minutes before the start of the clash against Swieqi United.

He said, “Unfortunately, we tried to move the game since there’s also the senior men’s game finishing just fifteen minutes before the start of our match, so it’s going to be impossible to get Birkirkara supporters to support us. This is a pity when we need the support in such a crucial game in which we can secure the title. We’ve passed this to the MFA but they did not meet our request. We’ll thus have to do so with limited spectators, but we’ll try to do our best to play our game and hopefully celebrate with the players.”

Even worse situations were first nodded to in the first weekend of the BOV Premier League and Challenge League back in September. At the time, Hibernians and Swieqi United met each other in the Assikura Women’s League, while the senior men’s teams had their respective fixtures scheduled at the same kick-off time in their respective leagues. Then, coaches Keith Gouder and Saviour Darmanin had already alluded to the issue it presents in splitting the already limited numbers of club supporters into two matches at the same time, including the stretching of the already limited resources of the clubs involved.

Meanwhile, asked a similar question about the importance of support, Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma nodded to the fact that playing such crucial league matches on a weekday limits the attendance even more, “Unfortunately playing direct encounters on a Thursday rather than during the weekend, especially at this point in the league when support is crucial, does not help (the numbers) at all.”

Despite this, Swieqi United’s skipper rallied the troops, “Having said that, we always appreciate our supporters who show up rain or shine, and we hope to showcase a high quality game of football for all to enjoy!”

The teams are ready to meet for the final time in the league this season tonight and will do so under the lights at the Centenary Stadium (20:15). Those unable to make it to the match will be able to watch it on TVM Sports+, slightly delayed following the UEFA Europa League match between Benfica and Rangers.

Tonight will also present a second match in the Assikura Women’s League as Mtarfa and Valletta will also be meeting at the Victor Tedesco Stadium (20:30).

Lead Image: Lara Schembri

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