by San Gwann and Valletta will meet for the first time this season at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, at 20:30. Coaches Julian Camilleri and Jean Lopes are both eyeing a victory despite injuries for both teams, in search of a change in their side’s run of form. The two sides are head to head in the table, with three points guaranteeing a change in their place in the table.
Tough Defeats
San Gwann and Valletta will both go into the encounter on the back of tough defeats to the top two sides in the league of Hibernians and Birkirkara, respectively.
San Gwann’s Julian Camilleri underlined the strength of Hibernians who dealt his side a 6-0 defeat last time out. He said, “It was a very tough match. We knew that we were going to face a strong team and took a step back to avoid having a similar outcome to that against Birkirkara. We were very disciplined for the first half-hour, but we were penalised as soon as we made a mistake, and then pressure took hold.”
Despite losing to both Swieqi United and Mgarr United in the previous two outings San Gwann managed to find the net against both sides. However, Julian Camilleri did not shy away from the difficulty in finding the net against Hibernians, “They conceded the first goal against Birkirkara. They’ve got a really strong defence and a very capable goalkeeper. It is difficult to score against them, but we also had some key players missing.”
Meanwhile, Jean Lopes addressed the 3-0 defeat to Birkirkara, in a match which featured plenty of his side. Diving into the changes, the Valletta coach highlighted the continued struggle for the side to balance the load of the senior league fixture scheduling against that of the Assikura Women’s Youth League (U19).
Jean Lopes said, “Playing against Birkirkara is always very challenging. For this match, we had defined a strategy during the week, but unfortunately we had many injured players. Since our team is very young and also competes in the U19 league, many of them weren’t fully recovered due to a match forty-eight hours before ours.”
Continuing to trudge on in search of getting the best of the defending champions, Lopes finished, “The tactical adjustments were made due to the circumstances of the game. We analysed how Birkirkara was playing and had to readjust to balance the game and try to neutralize the opponent’s attacks.”
Players’ Assessments
As the first round heads to a close, both sides continue to nurse injuries which as always bring additional challenges. San Gwann have been without Chaimaa Tourki, who has been a crucial outlet for the side these past two seasons.
Julian Camilleri addressed the adjustments required to set up his team without the Moroccan, while also having more options to rotate players around. He said, “The injury to Chaimaa forced me to make changes, so for example Annabelle Rapa had to play on the wing. Last season she mainly played in defence, but this year we can rotate more and she is one who can play in almost all areas of the pitch.”
Camilleri did not specify the timeline for the return of Tourki, but underlined the boost she would give to the side, “She injured her ankle against Mgarr and is still not one hundred percent. However, we are eagerly awaiting her return.”
Valletta have not been without their own woes, with further absences by Sarah Vella Barberi and goalkeeper Andressa de Souza Ramos persisting in the past weeks.
Jean Lopes suggested that Vella Barberi was expected to play against Birkirkara, “Sarah was almost certain to return for the match against Birkirkara. However, she felt some discomfort the day before the game, so we decided to hold her back to ensure that when she returns, she’ll be one hundred percent.”
However, things look more complex for the absence of the Brazilian goalkeeper, “Unfortunately, Andressa suffered an injury during a training session and is currently sidelined. She is working on her recovery so she can help us in the rest of the championship.”
Match Expectations
The two sides grovelled against each other five times last year, but it was always Valletta that prevailed. However, the two go into the match with six matches under their belt this season and this time it is San Gwann who have a two point lead to extend against the Citizens.
Julian Camilleri underlined the fact that his team will go into the match on the back of three tough weeks, “We’re coming into it on the back of three difficult matches, which were all defeats for us. It is a must-win game but we must not get ahead of ourselves. We must be disciplined even more than usual, to get the points we deserve.”
Valletta’s Jean Lopes alluded to the challenge brought by his opposition and praised his counterpart, “It has never been easy to play against San Gwann. Coach Julian (Camilleri) always prepares a well-structured and determined team. This year, San Gwann has strengthened with players of a very high level, like (Hailey) Russell and (Nanako) Kobayashi, so I’m sure it’s going to be a very tough match.”
Questioned about the prospect of playing at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, Lopes finished, “Playing there brings back good memories from last season. However, these are different circumstances now, and we need to stay focused to try to have a good game and climb a bit more in the table.”
The two teams will seek to get the better of each other for the first time this season tonight, with the match beginning at 20:30 and to be played in the Victor Tedesco Stadium.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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