by San Gwann & Lija Athletic will renew their rivalry this evening, kicking off today’s double header at Dingli Ground at 18:00. Coaches Julian Camilleri and Jethron Azzopardi praised their team’s starts to the season, while motivating their teams to clinch the victory tonight.
Building With Purpose
San Gwann and Lija Athletic both provided good surprises last season and early signs suggest that the two are continuing to push forward this year as well. San Gwann went into double digits in points under the debut season of Julian Camilleri. Lija Athletic’s return to the league under the leadership of Jethron Azzopardi saw them equal the Yellows’ points tally and crucially grow, in confidence and results, week after week.
The fact that the two were so close in the table brewed a rivalry that yielded engrossing encounters last year. Their early form this season sets things up nicely for what could be a thrilling afternoon.
San Gwann come into it having won their previous fixture against Mtarfa by 6 – 0 with the team in full flow. Julian Camilleri was elated by his team, “I was very pleased by the performance, more than it being a response to the first defeat within itself. We work a lot in training together and so we deserve to see it in action on the pitch to get the win that we got.”
Meanwhile, Lija Athletic appeared hard-done by a late equaliser from Valletta in the opening match. However, the team has since been awarded the three points due to Valletta’s registration infringements. The performance against Valletta propelled the side to a narrow defeat of just 1 – 0 to Birkirkara, which is the best result the side has gotten against the defending champions since returning.
Although plenty may have lamented the park-the-bus approach as ‘boring’, the tactic was deployed by Breznica Pljevlja in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and worked to a similar effect, with Birkirkara ultimately sealing the win by a penalty in extra-time.
Probed about his thoughts on the two instances in the face of any criticism toward his approach Lija Athletic’s coach, Jethron Azzopardi, remarked, “Not everyone has the luxury of having national team players and several foreigners in their squad. You have to be realistic, have a solid plan and try to get the best out of it. As a coach I am proud of my team. Despite our limitations, we managed to limit the score.”
Who Will Draw First Blood?
The two sides will be gunning for the win tonight, in search of nudging themselves forward. Asked whether he believes his team could break down a low-block by Lija Athletic, should Jethron Azzopardi opt for this approach, Julian Camilleri suggested that his team is ready come what may. “Matches against Lija Athletic have always been hard-fought and unpredictable. However, we are ready to fight for the win, in whatever scenario we face.”
On the other hand, probed whether he believes settling for a point could be important in search of breaking Lija Athletic’s momentum, should his team be unable to exert dominance, Julian Camilleri replied, “A point is always better than nothing, but this is not an option for us. We want to take the three points.”
Lija Athletic’s Jethron Azzopardi’s comments suggest that the park-the-bus approach will not feature this evening, “Against teams that are our level, we play the game head to head as in previous encounters.”
Like his counterpart, Jethron Azzopardi, is expecting a balanced match, but is looking for his team to build on last season’s exploits, “We are building on last years results. Matches against San Gwann have always been good matches to play and watch. We will go for the three points.”
The two coaches have had their say, the players will be prepared to make them true. The battle kicks off at 18:00 and will be followed by the encounter between Valletta and Mgarr United (KO 20:30).
Lead Images: Lara Schembri / Elise Bajada
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