by Mgarr United and Valletta will be meeting at the Victor Tedesco Stadium tonight at 20:30, with the two having ended the opening round match deadlocked. Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella is urging his side to show maturity and follow up last week’s victory against Hibernians with their first three points against Valletta this season. Valletta’s Jean Lopes stressed injury set-backs along with the strengths of the opposition will make for a tough outing, but is urging the team to use it as motivation to show their best qualities.
On Downing Leaders & Fighting Despite Setbacks
Mgarr United stirred the mix with a 3 – 0 victory against Hibernians last week on home turf. It handed the first defeat to the Paolites this season, in a match was not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests.
Coach Ryan Vella spoke about the victory, “The team executed what we trained perfectly during the entire ninety minutes. Football is all about taking your moments when opportunities arise, luckily for us Hibs missed their chances. Overall looking at the game back, we only gave a couple of chances away, were dangerous on the counter attacks and controlled the game quite well. So, I think this time luck favoured us, but at the same time believe we deserved what we got out of the game.”
Things were not as rosy for Valletta, who succumbed to a 3 – 0 defeat to Swieqi United, with the Owls having a much more dominant performance this time, despite the match resulting in the same score as the first round.
The Citizens appeared less keen on trying to build from the back, with a clear intent on a direct counter-attack approach. Questioned about the decision, Jean Lopes provided his own assessment on the defeat, “Each game needs to be studied and approached in a different way. In the first game against Swieqi, they were missing their two foreign players, and we played at Dingli’s field, which is larger than Mgarr’s. This allowed us to build plays without the high-intensity pressure from the foreign players. Mgarr’s field is smaller, making it easier for them to press us, so we tried to minimise the risk of losing the ball in a dangerous area.”
Maximising Strengths & Navigating Injuries
The Greens boast one of the strongest goalkeeping line-ups, with Patricia Ebejer and Giulia D’Antuono regularly rotating between the sticks. The two offer a different style of goalkeeping, which Ryan Vella appears keen to utilise in his approach. “We’re very lucky in having two very good goalkeepers. Even though they’re always well prepared, we know that they have different strengths and things to improve from one another. So, for us whenever we change, it’s always a tactical decision.”
The Mgarr United coach praised the competitive spirit between the two, “With both goalkeepers playing during the past months and both playing well during all games, they’ve pushed one another to always give their best during training. We can see constant improvement from both week after week.”
On the other hand, Valletta have been dealt another tough blow to their deepening injury list, with Eduarda Martins Souza being the latest to be sidelined. Jean Lopes provided an initial view, “Unfortunately, Eduarda suffered an injury that appears to be serious, but initially, it doesn’t seem to be a ligament injury. We hope to have her back as soon as possible because she is a very important player for us.”
Match Expectations
The first round match provided a thrilling watch, with Valletta staging a siege in defence against the constant attacks from Mgarr United. The match ended in a goalless draw, which Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella is keen to remedy in the upcoming match.
Speaking about tonight’s fixture, the Mgarr United coach said, “Like they showed in the first round, we are aware that Valletta are always a well drilled side. They’re very good on the counter and can pose a threat at anytime during games. At the same time they know how to defend as a unit and they can be really difficult to break down.”
The two coaches addressed the difference in playing at the Victor Tedesco Stadium instead of Dingli Ground. Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella continued, “There are always pros and cons in playing in a big pitch like the Victor Tedesco stadium. Obviously it gives us more space, but at the same time as stated before, we need to be aware of their counter attacking threat at all times.”
His counterpart, Jean Lopes, urged his team to display their tactical discipline in search of another groundbreaking performance, “Victor Tedesco Stadium is a large field that allows fast players, like Mgarr’s foreign players, to break through easily. So, we must be very disciplined tactically. I hope we can play good football again and maybe, why not, achieve an even better result than in the first round.”
Questioned on fears of complacency following a big victory against Hibernians, Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella urged his team to build on an important victory ahead of a month’s long hiatus. He said, “This game will be a maturity test for the team. Last game we showed what we’re capable of doing against a top team, but now it s about us being mature enough to think ahead, keep the consistency in our performances and results. We must try to go into the break with another win and in the best possible position in the league table.”
Meanwhile, questioned about the impact of a positive performance ahead of the break, Valletta’s Jean Lopes is aware of the difficult task his team faces, but urged his team to use it as motivation. He said, “It’s always good to go into a break with a positive result in the previous match; it keeps the environment and atmosphere in training more upbeat. However, playing against such a well-qualified team like Mgarr should be motivation enough for all of us to play a good game.”
The two sides will take to the pitch at the Victor Tedesco Stadium starting at 20:30.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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