by San Gwann and Lija Athletic will close off the Assikura Women’s League for an entire month this afternoon at Dingli Ground, with the match starting at 15:30. The two teams come into it with opposing trajectories following the first round match in which San Gwann edged out a 2-1 victory. Julian Camilleri & Jethron Azzopardi gave their take on their season to date, laying out their aims for match and the break ahead.
Opposing Trajectories
The two teams head into the match following very different outings. San Gwann made the most of the encounter against Mtarfa, earning a resounding 9 – 0 victory to continue their march upward.
San Gwann’s coach Julian Camilleri was full of praise for his team’s commitment to get these results, underlining the importance of the collective, “The team is coming to training sessions with dedication and determination. This is helping to improve on an individual and collective level, and I’m pleased it is showing on the pitch. I am very proud that each and every player is giving their utmost and that we’re even seeing different players getting on the scoresheet.”
On the other hand, Jethron Azzopardi predicted that the going would be tough against Birkirkara, and indeed the side succumbed a resounding 13 – 0 defeat. The Lija Athletic coach stuck with his pre-match comments on the impact of losing a significant number of players ahead of the match through injury, when questioned on whether the changed approach that Birkirkara took showed areas for the team to improve. He said, “Until we settle and recover our injuries we will not be able to show our full potential unfortunately.”
The team went into the match missing several key players, including Nell Zarb Cousin, Rachel Mifsud, and Kylie Pantalleresco, amid others.
Impact Of The Break
The sides will be playing one last match before a month’s hiatus takes hold of the Assikura Women’s League. The decision was taken to accommodate the staggered U17, U19 and senior team international windows. The U17 team window will be between the 11 – 19 November, before the U19 and the senior national teams window follows between 25th November and 3rd December.
The two coaches were asked on the impact of the long break and their plans for the duration. Julian Camilleri said his eyes are firmly set on the congestion of fixtures that follows, “We must prepare for the matches that we face after the break. We will have three matches within a week, none of which are easy. So we must be physically prepared for this.”
Meanwhile, Jethron Azzopardi, is looking for the break to offer the needed respite for his team to get back on track following the extensive injuries that have gripped the side. He said, “I hope we manage to recover all injuries and start working with a full squad so that we continue what we started.”
Rivalry Brewed, But Will The Contest Prove So?
The two teams have grown to have one of the most fiercely contested matches in the past two years. However, the two appear to be heading in different trajectories as the season progresses and particularly since the first-round encounter.
San Gwann earned a 2-1 victory on the day and have largely managed to back it up with results against their nearest rivals, while on the whole improving against the top four opposition. Questioned whether he believes his team can be more dominant in this match against Lija, also considering the injuries that hamper Lija Athletic, Julian Camilleri underscored the overall aims of the side.
He said, “We have big respect toward Lija, including between us coaches. However, everyone must prepare in their own way and work toward their own targets. Our target for round two remains to have an even better set of performances and results than in round one. So, yes we will go into the match with even more determination to secure the win.”
The two teams will play out their fixture at Dingli Ground, starting at 15:30. The match will follow the encounter between Mtarfa and Hibernians, starting at 13:00.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri
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