by Valletta will take on Birkirkara as the two battle it out for a place in the final of the Assikura Women’s Knockout tonight at 20:30 at the Centenary Stadium. Valletta’s Chris Vella spoke of the need for his team to produce a mature performance if they are to upset the Stripes, while Birkirkara’s Jose’ Borg appears laser-focused on a strong victory to edge closer to the treble.
Straightforward Wins
The two teams will meet for the first time since the beginning of the calendar year in a semi-final, with a bid to take a step closer toward silverware.
Valletta go into the match on the back of a strong 6-0 victory over San Gwann. Probed about the importance of raising their dominance into the next level against the bottom four teams, Chris Vella replied, “Playing the same teams over and over again in the second round tended to be a bit repetitive. However, the Knockout with it’s a do or die matches, gave the team that much needed extra motivation. Obviously the performance lifted the team morale.”
Meanwhile, Birkirkara made short work of Lija Athletic with a 7-0 score to secure their own place in the semi-finals. Jose’ Borg acknowledged the importance of the strong victory despite rotations and injuries, “Although it was an easy match against Lija, we knew we had a lot of players coming back from the international break, especially the back line. They came from two solid games, which was good for us and in the match had forty-five minutes to integrate back with the club. The most important thing was not the result itself, but to make it to the next round and be as fresh as possible for tonight’s game against Valletta.”
A Test Of Growth Awaits
Valletta will come into the match with a ten match unbeaten streak, following dominant wins against the bottom four. Several players from the team, also under the former incarnation as Raiders Lija, are versed in what it takes to take even a point from Birkirkara, which is something that has eluded them this year. However, this match will provide a test to assess whether they can display the defensive resilience and pair it with the growth in attacking build-up that they had time to pursue in the final stage of the league. Only that, will earn the team a place in the final, save penalties.
Questioned about the team’s ability to consolidate better build-up play during the split as they secured this ten-match unbeaten streak, Valletta’s team manager, Chris Vella, appeared aware of the challenge facing his team. He said, “This game will now be an entirely different scenario to the ones we’ve played recently. We know we can play a tight back but we now need to shift focus on minimising mistakes, as at this stage they will be very costly and difficult to recover. This is both at the back and at the front, as we need to make every chance we create count.”
Asked whether he believes the team is in a position to challenge Birkirkara considering their ability to improve their offensive game in matches following the split, together with the absence of Birkirkara’s first-choice goalkeeper Janice Xuereb, Vella replied, “Birkirkara are strong in every department and certainly their defense will be working overtime to make up for not having the first-choice keeper available.”
Meanwhile, Birkirkara’s Jose Borg expects Valletta to set up defensively and backed his team to rise to the fore once more, “We know they have been unbeaten for the past ten games, but we also know that our squad is superior to Valletta. We are aware they will implement a low-block, so we must stay focused on our goals, formation and tactics, so we can close the game early and proceed to the final with the intention of winning the cup. This, despite missing our first-goalkeeper Janice Xuereb.”
What Atmosphere?
Valletta against Birkirkara is a match that is highly anticipated in the men’s game, yet the match-up has little history in the women’s game.
Asked whether the fact that the two teams will meet in the semi-final, with the do or die element it brings, gives the clubs an inclination to expect a bigger turnout, Chris Vella said, “Birkirkara have been in the women’s game for a long time and riding a high which obviously attracts support. In our case it’s our first season and still building up the fanbase for the women’s team.” Despite this, Vella urged those supporting the club to get behind the team, “This being a semi-final will hopefully attract a good crowd for the much needed support for our girls.”
Birkirkara’s Jose’ Borg suggested the numbers will not be so high, “We don’t expect a very big crowd, despite this matchup being a big one in the men’s game. However, it’s a late evening match on Friday so, while it would be nice to have some numbers behind us, the most important thing is that we have each other and that we play with the aim to get the best possible result.”
It all remains to be seen as the whistle blows tonight. The semi-final is scheduled to start at 20:30 at the Centenary Stadium, following the other semi-final between Swieqi United and Hibernians (KO 18:00).
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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