by San Gwann and Mtarfa will be meeting at Dingli Ground at 14:00. Julian Camilleri spoke about the balance of his team’s win against Valletta, while discussing thoughts on players balancing futsal, injuries and rest as the team heads into the match. Mtarfa’s contingent continue to refuse to comment.
Close Calls
Last week San Gwann continued their winning streak with a 2 – 1 victory against Valletta, while Mtarfa succumbed to a 2 – 0 defeat to Lija Athletic. The two go into the match from the ends of the Bottom Four table, with San Gwann on 25 points, while Mtarfa still search to break the duck.
San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri agreed that the 2 – 1 victory against Valletta was in doubt at times for his team, “It was the most balanced encounter against them this year. We had a lot of control at times, but they attacked more toward the end and we could have lost two points with a bit less care.”
Meanwhile, Mtarfa suffered an early goal against Lija Athletic, before coming undone by a corner kick in the early stages of the second half.
Balancing Futsal & Football
The two teams feature several players who competed in the Enemed Women’s Futsal Knockout final that was played in mid-week, where Zero Sei triumphed over Lija Athletic by a 4 – 3 score. Balancing commitment between the two sports has been a topic of discussion in the past two years, with various views expressed on its impacts.
Julian Camilleri was probed about the fact that a few of his players compete in futsal as well, in terms of football preparations, as well as the benefits and issues that playing two sports brings. He replied, “I always say that the first priority is the team. If they would also like to play futsal, it is a benefit of more training for them.”
Match Expectations
San Gwann’s coach heavily rotated his side in the last encounter between the two, but his response suggested that his hands are somewhat more tied this time. “I can’t rotate too much since Jeanelle (Falzon) could not train with us due to other commitments, while Rabab (Mhalli) broke her arm during the last match. So my availabilities are limited. However, I will always still try to find ways to give players the needed rest.”
Mtarfa’s contingent was sent several similar queries, but no response was forthcoming at the time of writing.
San Gwann will be gunning for a fifth successive win this afternoon at Dingli Ground, starting at 14:00. The match is expected to be followed by the encounter between Lija Athletic and Valletta, starting at 16:30.
The ability of matches to be played depends on the pitch’s drainage quality to withstand the expected rainfall. Yesterday’s match between Swieqi United & Mgarr United was abandoned after four minutes due to waterlogged areas in the Charles Abela Stadium pitch.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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[…] teams are expected to take to the pitch at Dingli Ground at 16:30, following the encounter between San Gwann and Mtarfa (14:00). The ability of matches to be played depends on the pitch’s drainage quality to withstand […]