It is another important weekend for the Bank of Valletta Premier League as only five matches remain to be played.
The Premier League resumes this weekend after the stoppage for the national team's two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.
At present, we have a two-horse race for the title between Valletta who are leading on 50 points, followed closely by Hibernians on 48.
In the battle for 3rd and 4th places, Gzira are third on 42 points, followed by Sliema 38, Hamrun 37 and Birkirkara 36.
At the other end of the table, bottom club Pieta face Gzira, Qormi will be meeting Hamrun and St Andrews face Balzan. Senglea, two points above St Andrews, are to meet Tarxien Rainbows.
It is to be said that both Tarxien and Mosta, who have 22 points, are relatively safe at present, that is, four points away from the 12th place occupied by St Andrews.
It is evident that in these final five rounds, every match concerning teams at both ends of the standings, will be keenly contested.
TOP MATCHES
The top match this weekend is the City and suburban derby clash between arch rivals Valletta and Floriana.
It is being played on Sunday and a large crowd is expected to attend, especially Valletta fans who are relishing their favourites' challenge for another title.
It will not be an easy match, however, and the citizens are certainly aware of the improvement shown lately by the Greens who have won seven points from their last three matches.
Italian coach Guido Ugolotti started the difficult task of revitalising the side which was lingering near the bottom of the standings, almost since the start of the season. But now they have moved to a safe position in the standings - seven points away from the 12th place.
The Greens have always been a difficult opponent for Valletta, even if the citizens have emerged mostly on top in recent years.
However, the pressure on Sunday will all be on Valletta, especially if Hibernians manage to beat Mosta (as widely expected) tomorrow.
The Paolites have lost four points from two drawn matches in their most recent encounters and they have to show more determination to return to winning form to beat Mosta and claim top place tomorrow evening, at least for 24 hours.
Hibernians cannot afford to miss out on the three points from this match and I expect them to go all out to win.
Mosta, on their part, will not be throwing in the towel so easily. They are aware that they are just four points above that 12th place in the standings and they know that the occupier of that placing at the end of the campaign will get involved in a decider to avoid relegation against the third placed team in the first division.
So they also will be expected to offer stiff resistance to the Paolites, as they did to Valletta in their last match which they lost narrowly 1-0.
OTHER MATCHES
The most important of the other matches is Sunday's Sliema-Birkirkara clash - a last chance for both teams to keep alive their hopes for a still possible 3rd or 4th place which can earn them a berth in next season's Europa League.
This should be one of the most balanced and keenly contested matches this weekend.
Sliema are coming from a highly creditable 2-2 draw against Hibernians, while the Stripes suffered a 1-0 loss against Hamrun Spartans.
With Gzira favourites to beat bottom placed Pieta tomorrow, it is evident that both teams will be under pressure to keep in touch by winning all the three points.
The Maroons should maintain their stronghold on third place and might even increase their lead if, as expected, they beat Pieta.
The Hotspurs are not yet mathematically relegated - however, it has to be an unlikely miracle for them to save their status.
The Spartans are also expected to maintain their challenge as they face lowly Qormi.
Hamrun are also favourites to win all the three points thus increasing the woes for the Yellow Blacks.
The latter, however, have made significant progress in their last few matches, and Hamrun cannot take things for granted.
Another relegation-haunted team, St Andrews, also have a difficult clash against Balzan and they definitely need points to be able to move away from the 12th place by the end of the campaign, especially if Senglea register a victory tomorrow against Tarxien Rainbows.
Senglea have also been quite impressive in this second round. Now that they are closer to saving their hard-won status among the elite, I expect them to go all out tomorrow to consolidate their position.
The Rainbows, however, are not yet safe and they are aware that anything can happen in the remaining five matches with only four points separating them from 12th placed St Andrews.