by Birkirkara will be seeking to continue closing the gap as they face Swieqi United this evening at the Centenary Stadium (20:15). Swieqi’s Dorianne Theuma weighed in on the return to league commitments, and the impact of injuries and squad departures, as they set sight on what could be a testing evening.
Uptick On Return
Birkirkara will be looking to consolidate on their positive start to the calendar year after earning a draw against Hibernians last week, marking the former giant’s first point against the top three this year. Tonight they will face the defending champions, Swieqi United, who on their part saw away San Gwann with a 4 – 0 victory.
Swieqi United’s Dorianne Theuma was questioned for her thoughts in the way the team carried itself in their win against San Gwann, considering the latter also brought new recruitments in the match and the variations in approach from the Owls.
The Swieqi coach weighed in, “We are happy with the result, but I know we can do much better in terms of overall performance. We had been without a match for a month, which partly explains it, but our standards are higher and the team is capable of much more. There were positive signs, but we know we must be more and more demanding of ourselves.”
Signatures, Departures & Niggling Injuries
Both teams have had their fair of lengthy injuries this year. Although recruitments often capture headlines, departures have also been a part of the two teams’ journey into 2026.
Birkirkara continue to be without the services of goalkeeper Janice Xuereb, together with Charlene Zammit who has exclusively operated from the touchline thus far this year. The team is also working through absences for Mariah Cardona and Amy Busuttil among others. This, besides two departures in Patricia Lamanna and Maya Pellegrini.
However, the youngsters continue to step up, with the veteran leadership of captain Stephania Farrugia and Gabriella Zahra, while Haruhi Sekura and Momo Ueda have been among the most solid signings this year thus far across the league.
Questioned about injuries, Dorianne Theuma began, “This season we have not had a full squad available for a single match, and that is the reality we are managing. Injuries to important players has affected our consistency, but this is part of football.”
There was some positive news on the return of Emma Xuereb,”She is close to returning.” However, the Swieqi coach confirmed that defender Rafanny Mendoza Abache will continue to be sidelined, with captain Shona Zammit’s absence last week confirmed to be also injury-related, “Rafanny will unfortunately be out for the remainder of the season, and Shona is dealing with a persistent injury.”
Meanwhile, the Swieqi coach confirmed that Bulgarian forward Aleksandra Yaneva has departed the club despite having signed for the team just last summer, “Aleksandra left the club after receiving an offer from abroad. What matters now is that we believe in the group we have and we are confident they will step up and perform at the level required.”
Old Foes Building New Chapters
The matches between Birkirkara and Swieqi United dominated much of the recent years with Birkirkara hauling their fair share of silverware along the way. With Swieqi United having clinched the league title last year, the Stripes have since continued to show signs of rebuilding the squad with a young base.
Now led by defender Charlene Zammit, the team could not hold on to their lead against Hibernians last week for the win, but did enough to earn a point. Tonight could present an interesting battle with plenty going as Swieqi United seek the win to maintain the gap against Mgarr United, while Birkirkara will be seeking their own targets.
On the other hand, Dorianne Theuma credited the Stripes in their result, “I am not surprised by the result. I know their players well, and coach Charlene has done a good job in getting the squad fully on board. They are a disciplined team and it will definitely be an interesting game.”
Everything is set for another set of questions to be asked of players and their coaches this evening. Peering into the match with hungry eyes will continue to be Mgarr United, who are best placed to capitalise on further points dropped with an opportunity to extend their lead at the top.
The Sporting Fan fielded similar questions to Birkirkara’s Charlene Zammit but no responses were received at the time of writing.
The match between Birkirkara & Swieqi United will kick-off at 20:15 under the lights at the Centenary Stadium.
Lead Image: Michael Azzopardi
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