by Swieqi United & Mgarr United will be taking to the pitch at Dingli Ground at 15:00 to play out their postponed fixture. The Owls’ Dorianne Theuma is backing the side’s built DNA to carry them through following the international break. Mgarr United’s Ryan Vella welcomed the break to work with his players on tweaks as they seek to equal Swieqi & Hibernians on points with a victory this afternoon.
A Quick Turnaround From The International Break
Swieqi United and Mgarr United players who were on international duty will not have the benefit of a week to transition back into domestic football. Having had their match previously cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch, the two teams will play out the match this afternoon, before the Assikura Women’s League fully resumes on Thursday, toward the final stretch of four weekends to its finale.
Swieqi United had several players away on international duty, with a combination of call-ups between the senior and U19 national teams. Probed on her thoughts about the performances given at national team level ahead of this final stint, Dorianne Theuma replied, “It’s always a pleasure to see so many of our players called up to represent the national team. I have no doubt that they gave their all over the past two weeks and trained hard. We regrouped on Thursday, and everyone was in high spirits, eager to resume club duties with the rest of the squad.” There was no indication of any new injuries incurred or recovered by the side over the international break.
Meanwhile, Mgarr United’s number of players on international duty was more limited this time round. Having been hit hard by several injuries in the past few weeks, Ryan Vella welcomed the opportunity to recover a few players during the break.
He said, “We used the time to try to make as much progress in recovery for the “short” term injured players that we had. Luckily, we have a couple that trained or will start training with the team shortly. Although some players had a few of knocks in training, all players we had before the international break will be available for the game.”
The Mgarr United coach also gave an update on the longer-term injuries sustained by Brenda Borg & Veronique Mifsud, “Brenda had the operation successfully done and will start working on her rehabilitation, while Veronique will be operated on during the next few days.”
A Match To Kickstart The Finale
This year’s title race has bubbled into an unprecedented four-horse race that continues to toss up turns. Tensions have certainly been high, but this afternoon’s match is another opportunity for the two teams who are still both very much in contention.
They have been difficult to separate with two of three encounters being decided by the narrowest of margins, and the two sharing the points on the other occasion. However, Mgarr United will seek a victory to equal Swieqi United & Hibernians’ tallies of points, while the Owls will hope they can create a gap at the top.
As noted above, Swieqi United have had several players away on international duty which challenges the cohesiveness in the team. However, Dorianne Theuma appears to be taking it all in stride and making the best of the situation despite the short turnaround.
Speaking of the preparations she said, “Ideally, we would have had more time, but given the tight schedule, we had a strong feeling this fixture would be played over this weekend. We did everything possible to ensure the team is well-prepared for the game.”
Noting the tight affairs between the two sides and limited opportunity to work on new approaches, the Swieqi United coach was probed on whether she believes the team has the necessary elements to break down Mgarr United this afternoon and clear a gap at the top of the table.
The Swieqi United coach backed the team to be ready for the fight, “Even though the team hasn’t trained together for two weeks— for a positive reason— that doesn’t mean the players haven’t been preparing properly. Our approach and style of play remain unchanged, and feet steady on the ground, we continue working hard.”
On the other hand, Ryan Vella’s Mgarr United has been a side that has been the most visibly fluid among the top-four to good effect. Having had more players at his disposal during this international break, and despite a number of injuries which have depleted plenty of the side’s squad depth, Ryan Vella suggested the team has doubled-down on tackling details as they make their final bid for the title.
“Usually during these international breaks we have most of the team going with Malta’s National team. This time we were lucky enough to have most of the team with us. As much as our philosophy will stay the same from previous games, we had a lot of things we could work on to improve as a team. We hope that the work done on certain aspects of our game during these past two weeks can help us improve our performances in the last stretch of the season.”
The two teams are scheduled to take to the Dingli pitch at 15:00.
Lead Images: Elise Bajada
Make sure to never miss an Assikura Women’s League match by syncing your calendar here.
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
