by Mgarr United and Hibernians are set for another physical battle at the Centenary Stadium, starting at 20:15. Ryan Vella and Kenneth Costantino gave their insight over the tactical battles that continue to unfold, with both coaches backing their teams to not give an inch tonight as the title chase heads toward the final five matches.
Denied Chances
Mgarr United will be facing Hibernians with the knowledge that a victory could see them equal the Paolites’ tally with a game in hand. The Greens head into the match having not played their own encounter against Swieqi United last week, as the match was called off after four minutes due to severely waterlogged areas in the pitch.
Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella echoed the sentiment of Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma, with the two coaches agreeing that the match could have been called off earlier, “I believe that the pitch wasn’t in a good condition before the game started, but obviously once the players where out warming up, we were ready to go.”
Questioned on whether the cancellation afforded his side to recuperate some strains and injuries, Ryan Vella saw the two sides of the coin. He said, “We had positive results before the Swieqi match. So, of course, we were looking forward to keep the momentum going. At the same time we had a really bad week with injuries the previous week. So this “break” gave us time to reset mentally.”
As of writing, there is still no indication of when the match between Swieqi United and Mgarr United will be played.
Meanwhile, Hibernians were held to a goalless draw by Birkirkara at the Centenary Stadium on Thursday. The Paolites had the attacking momentum in the first half, but Kenneth Costantino rejected that his team settled for the draw once Martina Borg left the pitch during the break.
Speaking of the developments in the match he said, “During the first-half we enjoyed the majority of possession and created some good opportunities. As expected, Birkirkara pressed high and were very determined. However, we managed to play out of tight situations very well. We equalled them with an aggressive counter-press and I believe merited to take the lead.”
Continuing on the second half, the Paolites’ coach praised the intent of his team, while also addressing the quality of the opposition in the draw. He said, “In the second-half Birkirkara changed their shape, but we still kept pressing high. However, if it were not for some careless final passes we could have created some very dangerous chances. We did not settle for a draw, yet we are playing against very good opposition and it’s understandable that you don’t dominate a game from start to finish.”
Questioned about the condition of Martina Borg following the early change, Hibernians’ Kenneth Costantino confirmed the skipper could be given the green light for tonight’s encounter. “Martina has been training with the group this week and should have the go ahead to play on Thursday.”
Match Expectations
The two teams will want the three points as they continue their hunt toward the top of the table. The tactical battle between the two sides has continued to be one of the most exciting ones this season. Mgarr United won a match, while the two shared the points in the two other encounters. The last match saw the two settle for a 1 – 1 draw.
The two coaches have differed in their strategy thus far. Kenneth Costantino’s Hibernians have become a well-oiled machine in their approach with three at the back, while Ryan Vella has often kept his adversaries guessing on the system he deploys in the different encounters. The last match between the two tossed up an Mgarr United side that mirrored Hibernians’ approach.
There was no surprise at Ryan Vella’s reluctance to shed light on whether he is keen on a similar approach this week to nullify Hibernians’ threat, or a more offensive dynamic. The Mgarr United coach replied, “Hibernians have quite a unique system compared to the rest of the teams. Luckily our team have shown game after game that they’re always ready to adapt when needed. For us, the most important thing is that we keep our usual principles throughout the game, whatever formation and system we use.”
Meanwhile, Hibernians’ Kenneth Costantino suggested he believes that his team has the necessary keys to unlock Mgarr United should they mirror them and also if Ryan Vella opts for a different system at the Centenary Stadium.
Setting sights firmly on the season’s objective, Costantino replied, “There are fifteen points still at stake and every team has five direct encounters. So I’m not making calculations at this stage. We will try to win this game knowing that a win could potentially take us 6 points clear of Mgarr. We know that they have played with a back-three and a back-four on different occasions, so we will be prepared for either situation.”
The two sides will take to the pitch at the Centenary Stadium at 20:15. The other Top Four encounter between Swieqi United and Birkirkara will unfold out at the Charles Abela Stadium, starting at 20:30.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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