The second round of matches in the Championship Pool sees a possibility for Hibernians to extend their lead at the top: of course, if they beat Floriana and Valletta are unable to beat their rivals Birkirkara.

The two top teams will be in action this afternoon with first Hibernians facing the Greens and Valletta coming up against Birkirkara immediately afterwards.

In tomorrow’s other match, Sliema and Marsaxlokk cross swords in a match which might provide an indication towards the outcome of the battle for fourth place while from the Relegation Pool, Hamrun Spartans face the section leaders, Msida, as the two teams aim to obtain precious points to move closer to safety.

The main interest, of course, revolves round today’s two matches in which the Paolites and the Citizens will be eyeing all points.

The Paolites are playing with great confidence at present and Mark Miller’s boys are aware that the title is within their reach this season.

The way they beat Marsaxlokk the past weekend (4-1) clearly shows the determination of the side even if Mark Miller is taking no chances.

The Paolites are in no mood for mercy and the Greens can expect a tough time. Floriana, soundly beaten by Birkirkara last Sunday, have no interest in the title proceedings, but can still land a berth in the inaugural Europa League next season if they can topple Sliema and Marsaxlokk for the fourth place.

The match between Valletta and Birkirkara will be the game of the weekend with both sides having the advantage of knowing the result of the Hibernians encounter with Floriana.

If Hibs win, both teams, especially Valletta, will be under great pressure not to miss the bus and therefore it will become more obvious that they cannot afford to lose.

The citizens demolished Sliema 5-0 last week and their performances provided glimpses of what had been expected much earlier this season from this City side which unquestionably possesses the best talents in local football and, of course, the biggest and strongest squad.

However, Birkirkara will not be throwing in the towel so easily. John Buttigieg is well aware that a victory against the Citizens today will not only spark much more interest and enthusiasm in the Stripes clan, but will also enable the team to move to within one point of the same Valletta in the standings. And this will only be the second match of the 10 that have to be played till the end of this second and final phase.

The Stripes also showed solidity in their win against Floriana last weekend. But Valletta might start the match with a psychological advantage having beaten the Stripes 2-0 in the FA Trophy a few weeks ago.

Tomorrow, Marsaxlokk face Sliema as the two sides hope to forget their performances against Hibernians and Valletta respectively last week.

Both went through a disastrous moment as they were convincingly beaten by very superior opponents.

With Sliema almost assured already of a place in the Europa League (through the Trophy), Marsaxlokk will certainly be putting in a bold effort to try and move up the standings to challenge seriously for the fourth placing.

The Relegation battle between Msida and Hamrun Spartans also promises to be quite interesting.

With Tarxien beating Qormi in the first match the past weekend, the position has been tightened and the winner of this clash would make a very bold step towards safety.

One might expect the Spartans to play with more vigour than usual in memory of their former much loved president Victor Tedesco who passed away last Wednesday night.

Msida, on their part, will not be staring either. It is only fair to state that they will also be playing in memory of Victor Tedesco. In fact, before becoming president of Hamrun Spartans, Tedesco had been president of Msida St Joseph for some years in the 1970s.

A keen and close tussle is expected between these two teams.