by San Gwann & Valletta will kick off the Assikura Women’s Knockout quarter-finals at Mgarr United at 14:30 this afternoon. Julian Camilleri & Jean Lopes weighed in on ambitions and past experiences, while discussing the possibility of advancing to the semi-finals.
Fond Memories & Ambitious Targets
San Gwann and Valletta are set for a quarter-final just three weeks on since wrapping the league against each other. The two sides enter this competition with different pasts and new hopes.
San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri was questioned on whether he believes his team can be the surprise of the competition, following fulfilling ambitions in another upward step in the league this year.
He said, “We want to show that we deserve to make another step forward. We must face each match as if it is a final, show our grit, determination and desire to win.”
Meanwhile, Valletta provided a thrilling semi-final battle last season, holding Birkirkara until the final minutes. Considering the disappointment in the league, Jean Lopes was probed about the possibility of this competition breathing new life into his team.
The Valletta coach was grounded in his response, “We have good memories from last season, during the league and the Knockout. Now our reality is totally different. Hopefully we manage to achieve our target and have a good performance in our first game.”
Squad News
San Gwann competed without Assikura Women’s League top scorer in the final match of the season, but Julian Camilleri suggested the striker could be on the pitch this afternoon, “She sustained a fracture in the match against Lija Athletic in a conflict with Vanessa (Honorio Carneiro). However, she’s better and could be available this afternoon.”
On the other hand, Valletta’s Jean Lopes has continued to make several rotations in his team throughout the season. Questioned about whether he feels he has a best eleven ready for the battle, he replied, “Unfortunately the rotation of players was according to the circumstances. We are still a strong squad and I believe if we give our one hundred percent we can get the positive result.”
The Battle For A Chance To Prove Against Top Four Competitors
The two sides finished their league battle with a strong 3 – 0 victory for San Gwann to condemn Valletta to third place in the Bottom Four. The two coaches were questioned about whether they believe this game could shape up similarly or if they believe Valletta may be able to spring a response.
Julian Camilleri is expecting a prepared Valletta side ready to make amends, but urged his team to show their best football, “As always, we cannot take anyone foregranted, but must show our character and abilities. Valletta also had their chance to prepare so we must be ready to face any situation in the utmost professional manner.”
Valletta’s Jean Lopes has continued to respect the strides made by San Gwann this season but is backing his side to show up with the best of attitudes, “San Gwann is a very organised team with good players and an intelligent coach. Certainly, they are very well prepared for the game as usual. However, I believe in my players and we are going to give our all.”
San Gwann & Valletta will kick-off an afternoon of football at Mgarr Ground at 14:30, followed by another quarter-final between Lija Athletic & Mtarfa (17:00).
Lija Athletic & Mtarfa also met on the final matchday, with Lija Athletic edging out the Blues by 3 – 2 to secure second place in the Bottom Four. The Sporting Fan reached out to Jethron Azzopardi & Simon Spiteri for comments but none were provided by either coach at the time of writing.
The winner between San Gwann & Valletta will face Swieqi United or Hibernians, with those two meeting at Dingli Ground at 14:00 this afternoon. Lija Athletic or Mtarfa will face the winner between Birkirkara and Mgarr United who will meet at Dingli at 16:30 this afternoon as well.
Lead Image: Elise Bajada
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[…] Hibernians & Swieqi United (14:00). The winner between Birkirkara & Mgarr United will face Lija Athletic or Mtarfa, depending on the outcome between that quarter-final which will kick off at 17:00 at Mgarr […]