by Lija Athletic and Mtarfa will end their Assikura Women’s League commitments tonight at the Victor Tedesco Stadium (20:30). Jethron Azzopardi is preparing Lija Athletic to bring home a victory to equal San Gwann’s points tally in second of the group, while Mtarfa’s Brandon Spiteri and Christian Curmi have one final chance to bring home points in the league this year.
Lija Looking To Back Up Momentum; Mtarfa With Final Chance For Points
The two teams will head into their final league match dead set on their own agendas. Lija Athletic know they have put themselves into a good opportunity of equalling San Gwann’s tally should they manage a victory tonight. Mtarfa head into the match seeking the elusive points, the lack of which has haunted them all season.
Jethron Azzopardi’s side put themselves into a good position following a strong victory over their direct rivals, San Gwann, last week. Azzopardi beamed with pride when asked about the performance, “The team had one of their best performances this season where they played their heart out and tactically they executed as planned.”
Even more impressively is the fact that the team missed one of their most core players in Sarah Caruana at the back. However, Azzopardi nodded to the importance of collective effort, “The resources in this team are incredible and every player is key.”
On the other hand, Mtarfa could not make much headway against Valletta who secured a 3-0 victory last week, and completed the perfect tally to end commitments against San Gwann yesterday.
Asked about preparation for the final fixture in search of the elusive points, Mtarfa’s coaches Brandon Spiteri and Christian Curmi replied, “We are trying our best to prepare the team for the final league game. During this week we worked mostly on game preparation for the upcoming game focusing on positioning and offensive play.”
Now Or Never
The two teams are well versed in each other’s strengths and weaknesses by now. The novelty of a change in coaches for Mtarfa has worn off, and Lija Athletic have managed to shut out the Blues thus far.
Jethron Azzopardi confirmed he expects a defensive Mtarfa setup, well aware of the objectives of both sides. He said, “It is the last game of the league against an improved team of Mtarfa. Yes, I believe Mtarfa will try to hit on the counter and you have to be extra cautious. It will be a good game as always.”
His counterparts suggested that the team is ready to take the fight to Lija Athletic, “We will approach the game the same as any other game. The players are prepared to confront Lija Athletic and we believe in all of them. We have been the underdogs during this season, but we never gave up. We now hope that we can manage to rise to the occasion during the final league game.”
The two teams will conclude their league commitments and the Bottom Four section of the Assikura Women’s League tonight at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, KO 20:30.
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