by Valletta and Hibernians will meet for the second time tonight as they launch into round two of the campaign. Valletta set sights on knocking points from Hibernians to close the gap to the top-four, while Hibernians will seek to do the double in search of daylight at the top.
Going Into Round Two
The two sides opened their season with a duel at the Dingli Ground, which Keith Gouder’s side won by a comfortable scoreline of 3-0. Since then, Hibernians have steadily notched five victories, a draw and one loss to get themselves to the top of the standings, with the most recent result being a 7-0 victory over Mtarfa.
Meanwhile, Valletta lost their fixtures against the top four teams but still secured three victories to get themselves a comfortable gap in fifth place, with the most recent victory arriving last Saturday against San Gwann whom they downed by 3-0.
This first match in round two presents the opportunity for Valletta to attack points from direct encounters with the top teams. Probed about the belief in the team to get points against Hibernians, Valletta’s coach Denis Guerra said, “Our main objective is to finish the league in the top four. We know that the teams currently occupying the top four positions have very strong squads, great squads with super players, senior national team players and foreign talent as well. It’s tough. However, of course if we want to do this we must get some points from these direct encounters.”
Continuing about the next adversary being Hibernians, Guerra said, “As regards Hibernians, they are very well organised. However, we try to focus on playing our match and work toward getting a positive result.”
Although the previous encounter ended in a one-sided scoreline in favour of Hibernians, several factors come into play that could present new questions for either side. Both sides were still finalising their transfer business, while also welcoming a few senior players back from injury, which puts a twist on things. Additionally, there is also the match practice gathered since then which means that the teams are now well into their routine as opposed to getting the first taste of matches following the summer break.
The two coaches were probed on their thoughts of how these factors could alter the result. Guerra replied, “Definitely. In the first match we had around five senior players still missing, even though this is not an excuse. During the first round a lot of the teams (not only us) will have had time to work toward finding the right shape and the new recruits need that time to adapt, which is not easy. The second round will reveal the real potential of the players and the teams, not just for us.”
His counterpart, Keith Gouder is also expecting a different encounter and is ready for the battle, “Past games and results are good for statistical data. Tomorrow it will be a different game. I’m expecting a Valletta team that will go into the pitch full force to win the three points, but rest assured that we will aim to do the same so that we keep on building on the positive results we obtained in the first round.”
Team News and Effect of Changing the Venue
As with any season, both teams have already had their fair share of injury struggles. Valletta notably welcomed the return of their first-choice goalkeeper Andressa de Souza Ramos against San Gwann last Saturday. Additionally, Lisa Vella made her first appearance back from injury in the Youth League match on Tuesday, which the side won by 4-0 over the U19 squad of San Gwann.
Meanwhile, Hibernians’ goalkeeper Zeeyana Jivraj enjoyed an impressive debut against Valletta, but has been sidelined by injury since then. Keith Gouder gave an update on her progress, “Zeeyana is doing very well in her rehabilitation but unfortunately she will not be part of the game since she is not yet a hundred percent recovered.”
Additionally, the coach also confirmed the situation surrounding Alessia Caschetto’s absence, who had become a stable fixture in the left-back role. He said, “Alessia is a very hard working person in all aspects of life. She had to take a study break to be able to focus more on her academic studies for a couple of months.”
These changes, together with the adaptation of the new recruits and promoted youngsters from the youth teams could all contribute to a different outcome.
Another factor will be the change in venue from the Dingli Ground to the Centenary Stadium. Probed about how this affects them tactically, Denis Guerra replied, “The Centenary Stadium has always been a good pitch for us. We are a team that like to keep possession so the spaces in the Centenary gives us more opportunities. We have to be careful because they also have good players who if we afford space and time to, will kill us. However, this is why I have always said I want intelligent players in my squad who can give attention, and who play good, organised football.”
Keith Gouder was of a similar train of thought, “Playing at the Centenary Stadium can give us more space to attack but it can also expose us if we are not intelligent enough to preventive mark when in possession. I think tomorrow transition and counter attacks will make a difference in the final result of the game.”
It all sets this up to be another thrilling encounter that propels the league into the second round and potentially another twist. There are no room for errors as the second round will be followed by a split which determines the top four who will be fighting for the title in round three. The match will be played at 20:15 at the Centenary Stadium.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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