by Lija Athletic and San Gwann promise another entertaining battle at Dingli Ground this afternoon (14:00). Jethron Azzopardi’s Lija Athletic seek a second consecutive win over the Yellows to draw level, but will meet a staunch side from Julian Camilleri who will want to solidify their position. Reluctant to expose much about their plans, the two coaches acknowledged the tough battle ahead.
Navigating Tricky Patches
Lija Athletic and San Gwann have continued to provide one of the most exciting battles throughout the season. Constantly on each others case, while attempting to get the better of their nearest rivals, the two teams now go into another direct battle in attempt to take hold of the second place in the bottom-four group.
Lija Athletic appeared to hit another gear in the last encounter against the Yellows, notching their first win over their rivals and then backing it up with victory over Mtarfa. However, the side suffered their largest defeat at the hands of group leaders Valletta last week. The team was holding their own, but three goals in ten minutes made for a different scoreline by the end of the opening half.
Questioned about the quick collapse prior to the half-time whistle, Lija Athletic’s coach Jethron Azzopardi responded, “Valletta were stronger than us in the first half. However, some controversial decisions led to losing concentration, hence conceding and losing the game. We grow from mistakes.”
On the other hand, since the last encounter against Lija Athletic, San Gwann suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of Valletta, before grovelling for a 1-0 victory against Mtarfa last time out.
Asked about the difficulty of finding the net against Mtarfa, Julian Camilleri acknowledged the strides the Blues have made in recent weeks, “Mtarfa have been much tougher to break down in the last matches. They’ve improved defensively and in fact we struggled to break them down.”
It was a match where the Yellows enjoyed the majority of possession, but struggled to convert it into goals. It made for a very different afternoon to the ones the team enjoyed previously against the Blues. However, the Yellows stuck to the task and emerged with the victory nonetheless.
Squad Rotations & Dealing With Absences
Lija Athletic have been without the services of Amy Galea Gingell for close to a month. It appears that the team will have to continue to do without her for this weekend as she continues to recover from an injury picked up against Valletta in late January.
On the other hand, San Gwann took to the pitch with several changes. Asked whether the changes were planned rotations or a result of injury, Julian Camilleri nodded to the challenges of navigating the season’s demands, “Recently fixtures have been a bit more congested. We’ve had senior matches on Saturdays and Thursday, with those playing in the Youth League having matches in between as well. So, at times I rest some players because they need rest, while in other cases it has been a planned decision to have them as fresh as possible for particular encounter.”
Among the absentees were captain Annabelle Rapa, Kirstie Vella and Martina Schembri. Asked specifically about these players, Camilleri acknowledged that the absences were planned changes.
Tightly Poised
The two teams have managed to get the better of each other once, with the other match leaving them deadlocked. San Gwann go into it seeking to break away with a six-point margin over Lija Athletic, while the latter will yearn for three points to take themselves level with the Yellows.
As with other repeated encounters where the stakes have been high due to the close proximity of the teams, the two coaches face the question of whether to spark some innovation into the team or whether to employ the trusted tactics.
Lija Athletic’s Jethron Azzopardi was tight-lipped about any potential changes, but appears of the belief that there will likely be little to separate the two sides once more, “It’s a level match against San Gwann. The stronger team on the day will win it.”
Looking at the upcoming tie, his counterpart Julian Camilleri replied, “We take to the pitch with always the same aim of taking the maximum points. In this one it is more important than ever that we recover the points lost.”
As to the element of consistency, San Gwann’s coach acknowledged that at times the team has had to adapt to make use of the strengths of the players available for selection, “Consistence has been at times difficult, because players have different strengths, some are faster, while others are more technical. So, I’ve had to adapt to try to utilise these strengths according to the availability of players. However, our determination must never falter, that is the thing we must always have.”
The two teams kick-off today’s double-header at Dingli Ground at 14:00. If the matches past are anything to go by, the match will provide plenty of end-to-end drama for those in the stands. It will be followed by the other bottom-four encounter between Valletta and Mtarfa (16:30).
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