Stripes all-out to reduce the gap
by Ayrton Galea - 20th March 2016
Birkirkara FC have the opportunity to challenge for the second and third place of the BOV Premier League when this afternoon they take on Naxxar Lions FC.
With both Hibernians and Balzan dropping points in a 1-1 draw against Pembroke Athleta and a 3-3 draw against Sliema Wanderers respectively, the Stripes have a golden opportunity to narrow the gap and get back in contention for both the second and third place.
Hibernians are six points ahead, while Balzan are four and a win for the Stripes will see them narrowing the gap to just three with the Paolites and one to Balzan, while regaining a sole fourth place position with three points over Floriana.
The Stripes registered back-to-back victories in their last two outings when they had to come from behind to defeat Tarxien Rainbows and Sliema Wanderers with identical 2-1 scores.
Team News
Mr. Drazen Besek choices will be boosted with the return of two key players for today's match. Joseph Zerafa will be back in the frame after missing the last match due to a one-match ban while Mauricio Mazzetti has completed his recovery and is also available for selection.
Edward Herrera and Nikola Vukanac both remain ruled-out injured while midfielder Mislav Andelkovic is in the last stages of recovery. L'Imam Seydi had his contract terminated on Friday.
Our Opponents
Naxxar Lions will be all out to make amends for their last two matches where they conceded back to back 8-0 defeats at the hands of Balzan and Hibernians respectively. They are coming from five consecutive defeats, after they had defeated Sliema Wanderers with a 2-1 score in mid-February.
Like the Stripes, they also be boosted with the return of important players. Andrew Scicluna, Angus Buhagiar and Ryan Grech are all in-line for a recall but on the other hand, young goalkeeper Luke Pecorella is suspended after he was sent off in the last match.
League Standings
The Stripes are fourth with thirty-three points joined with Floriana after the latter won yesterday's match with Qormi with a 3-1 score. The Stripes, six points under Hibernians and three under Balzan but with a game in hand, will have the perfect opportunity to narrow the gap and open wide the challenge for the second and third place.
On the other hand, Naxxar Lions are third from bottom joined with St. Andrews with seven points but they have a game in hand after St. Andrew's lost yesterday's match with a 3-2 score against Tarxien Rainbows. The Lions are two points over bottom-placed Qormi.
Previous Encounters
The Stripes are unbeaten against Naxxar Lions as they have won the first-round match but were ended the second-round match in a disappointing draw.
In the first-round match, which was the first league fixture and was played on Friday, 21 August, the Stripes registered a comfortable 4-0 victory thanks to a goal each by Fabrizio Miccoli, Vito Plut, Gareth Sciberras and Paul Fenech.
On the other hand, the Stripes ended the second-round match in a disappointing 2-2 draw in a match played at the Victory Tedesco Stadium on Saturday, 21 November. The Stripes went two goals ahead thanks to a goal each by Ryan Scicluna and Ellinton Morais and Naxxar had a player sent off but they scored twice to earn a point. This was Mr. Giovanni Tedesco's last league match with our Club.
The match will be played at the National Stadium and it will kick off at 14:00.
Come on the Stripes!
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