Match Preview: Hibernians vs Valletta

The first Assikura Women’s League football weekend will culminate today with a double-header at Dingli Ground. This preview focuses on Hibernians and Valletta who promise a thrilling encounter. The match will be followed by Swieqi United and Mtarfa, with Mtarfa intending to frustrate the Owls who will be on the search for a winning start to their title challenge.

The Coaches Have Their Say

The Paolites had a strong end to last season and will be hoping to kick this one off with a win. Although Valletta is a new name in the league, the two coaches, Keith Gouder and Denis Guerra, are no strangers. The same can be said for a lot of the players who will be taking to the pitch. However, there will be some new faces in the match too.

Last season, Hibernians won all three matches against Raiders Lija, however the integration of Raiders with Valletta brings a new set of questions. In fact, probed about this, Keith Gouder made it clear that he is not relying on the past results, “We will be playing Valletta for the first time and last year’s results against Raiders are just history and statistics. It is not the first time that their coach (Denis Guerra) used a different style of play, so what matters most is that we dictate our game through effective possession and take advantage of the goalscoring opportunities that we create.”

Meanwhile, questioned about the excitement relating to the integration of Raiders within Valletta, Denis Guerra showed enthusiasm while evidently aware of the challenges this involves. He said, “It is always exciting to start a new season. It will be a new chapter for us and for Valletta FC. Like all the new projects, at the beginning there are always things to sort out, but we are very confident that it will be a very positive season.”

Questioned about the importance of kicking the season off with a win, Guerra noted the desire for victory, but also alluded to the strides made by all teams in the off-season. Valletta’s coach said, “It’s important to start well, but we all know that it will be a long season and the competition between teams has grown a lot. It will probably be the most difficult season ever in Maltese women’s football.”

Hibernians To Feature Debutants Including Goalkeeper Jivray, Valletta Keeping Cards Closer To The Chest

Hibernians have made a number of acquisitions to their squad. Amongst the potential debutants for the Paolites could be Leah Ayres, who will come up against many of last year’s teammates if she is handed her debut in the match.

Questioned about the potential of seeing their new recruits in the match, Keith Gouder confirmed that they will surely have a new face in goal, following Raisa Costantino’s departure to SPD Tharros in Italy. Gouder said, “Our new goalkeeper Zeeyana Jivray will make her debut with the team. She has done well during training and integrated positively with the team.” However he also alluded that she will not be the only one to debut in the match, continuing “I am sure that there will be other players who will mark their debut in the match against Valletta.”

Goalkeepers have been the subject of much speculation even for Valletta FC, following the news that Giulia D’Antuono and Justyne Caruana moved to Mgarr United and San Gwann, respectively. Additionally, there were many promising talents who participated in the youth leagues under the banner of Raiders Lija and who could be coming to the fore following their signing with Valletta. Probed about potential youth or foreign debutants, Denis Guerra made no distinction, “I was always very clear with my players. Age and nationality are not important for me. If you train well and you keep fighting for your place, you will have your chances.”

The match will be the first to be played at the Dingli Ground at 18:30. It will be directly followed by Swieqi United against Mtarfa which starts at 21:00. Tickets will cost 2.50 Euro at the door.

Lead Images: Chiara Faedo / Valletta FC Women

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