by Mtarfa will welcome Mgarr United at the Centenary Stadium tonight at 20:15. The two will open the final weekend ahead of the first international break. Ahead of the fixture, take a look at the teams’ recent form, expectations and potential returning faces ahead of the match.
Recent Form and Match Expectations
It will be the first encounter between the two this season. Mgarr United come into it with seven points out of nine, and on the back of a confident victory over Valletta in their home ground. Meanwhile, Mtarfa are yet to secure their first points, following fixtures against Swieqi United and Valletta, both of whom delivered strong victories against the Blues.
Having set the target to reduce the amount of goals conceded, the Blues showed an improvement against Swieqi United in limiting them from going into double digits this season, and also managed to find the net against the Owls. Following a two week break since their last encounter against Valletta, the Blues will be hoping to make the fresh legs pay against the Greens. However, questioned about the possibility of picking up points from the match, Mtarfa’s coach Simon Spiteri tempered expectations saying, “Against a solid and strong Mgarr United, we are definitely considered as the underdogs.”
On the other hand, Mgarr United will attempt to bag all three points as they continue in their bid to secure a place in the top four ahead of the split following round two. Based on past fixtures, it could very much pan out in an attack versus defence scenario, with the Greens expected to take the game to Mtarfa.
Injury Updates And Potential Returns
The Blues suffered some injuries in their battle against Valletta a couple of weeks ago, notably to Shania Spiteri, but also their new signing Laura Echeverri Tobon. Questioned about their condition and return, Mtarfa’s coach Simon Spiteri said, “Both Shania Spiteri and Laura Echeverri Tobon are not yet a hundred per cent fit to play the entire match, but could feature given the size of our squad.”
Despite losing two important players, Mtarfa are likely to be boosted by the return of two key veterans. The Blues have thus far been without their captain Dorienne Grech in goal, with Maria Abdilla occupying the goalkeeping duties in their two opening matches. Another absentee against Valletta was Darya Attard who is often a rock in defence for the Blues. Questioned on the return of the two, Simon Spiteri replied positively, “Yes, we should recover both Dorienne Grech and Darya Attard. Their experience is crucial for our team against the strength of Mgarr United.”
Meanwhile, Mgarr United have had their own injury issues. Besides a number of long-term absentees, Rebecca Bajada will also be unavailable following a head injury sustained against Valletta last week. It is understood that Yulya Carella may also not feature as a precautionary measure. On the other hand, last week the Greens were also boosted by the return of Malta national team player Brenda Borg who came off the bench against Valletta.
The match will kick-off at 20:15 and will be played at the Centenary Stadium.
Lead Images: Dorienne Grech / Lara Schembri
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