by San Gwann and Lija Athletic promise another engrossing battle as they kick-off today’s double-header at Dingli Ground (13:00). Having drawn the previous encounter, the two are level in the table with aspirations of earning the three points to break free.
Recent Form & Expectations
The two teams come into the match on the back of defeats against top-four contenders. San Gwann’s encounter with Mgarr United went differently this time round, with the Greens registering a 7-0 win as opposed to the tighter 2-1 scoreline in the initial encounter.
Besides dealing with the defeat, the team will have to contend with two suspensions after they had two sending offs in the match against Mgarr United, one of which was a straight red card.
Despite this, San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri vehemently denied any need to impress a more clear-cut disciplinary approach with his players to avoid such situations, nor that this sheds a bad light on the discipline of the team. He said, “The discipline in the team is better than good. In my opinion and that of many others, these were wrong decisions from the referee. Whoever thinks or says that any player of mine is putting a bad light on the team is severely mistaken and I invite them to come watch the games and analyse exactly what is happening.”
Meanwhile, Jethron Azzopardi’s side come into the match after succumbing to a 4-0 defeat to Birkirkara. Although still empty-handed, the side reduced the scoreline margin significantly from 11-0. Azzopardi noted, “The game against Birkirkara showcased a very good performance by the team, showing the improvement from the first round.”
Dealing With Injuries & Squad Rotations
The two teams have a vastly different number of players on their roster. While San Gwann have a large squad of twenty-nine players, Lija Athletic’s features a first eleven and a rather skeleton bench.
Probed about the absence of Annabelle Rapa, Andjela Kricak and Nilayza Attard, among others against Mgarr United, Julian Camilleri responded, “Yes, we had a few players missing against Mgarr. There are still a number of injuries which we are still recovering. Other players were rested due to the fact that since we have a lot of young players who are also involved in the U19 League (Assikura Women’s Youth League) they are ending up playing three games in a week.”
Lija Athletic’s Nell Zarb Cousin was substituted off at half-time following an injury. Probed about her situation, Jethron Azzopardi said, “We are monitoring the situation with our physio on a daily basis.” Meanwhile, the coach also confirmed that Amy Galea Gingell is fit to play after missing the previous match.
Against Birkirkara, the team featured the return of Vanessa Honorio Carneiro who did exceptionally well to frustrate the Stripes in midfield with her hold-up play. Probed on this change in position from acting as the central striker, Lija’s Azzopardi replied, “We had an emergency with injuries and had to utilise Vanessa differently to her usual role.”
Three Points
Standing in sixth and seventh place with four points each, the two sides know that a win could earn them some breathing space.
San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri is not worried about dealing with two suspensions, “Obviously it is not ideal to have players unavailable, however I am not disheartened because I’ve never been able to field the full team and I’ve always had a different first eleven.” The ambitions for the match are also clear, “The players are know what they have to do and we are going to the pitch with the aim of securing the three points.”
His counterpart Jethron Azzopardi is also expecting a hard-fought match, “It will probably be a 50-50 match with both teams chasing for points. It will be an interesting encounter to watch for sure.”
The first encounter was indeed engrossing and this is expected to be no different. Kick-off will be at 13:00 at the Dingli Ground. The clash will be followed by the other also highly-anticipated clash between Hibernians and Mgarr United (15:30).
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
1 Response
[…] up to the same billing. The two kick-off at 15:30 in Dingli Ground, following the clash between San Gwann and Lija Athletic […]