Sliema seem to have a very good chance of extending their lead at the top of the Premier League this evening as two matches are played at the National Stadium.

Because of the Carnival festivities on Sunday, the programme has been brought forward one day.

In the opening match, at 6pm, Sliema Wanderers will be facing Pieta Hotspurs, while in the match that follows, Hibernians will face Valletta in what should be the top match of the whole programme.

Sliema are leading the standings on 36 points. They are followed by Valletta on 33, Hibernians on 30 and Birkirkara on 28. These four teams still have two more matches to play before the end of the first phase.

The Blues are considered to have too many guns to outpower Pieta Hotspurs who have seen their team being weakened by the departure of several players in the last few weeks. Among them is national team striker Ivan Woods who will be facing his former team-mates this evening. He is now on the books of Sliema and he has already netted twice in the matches he has played so far.

The Blues will have Kristian Laferla missing through suspension, but will have midfield general Stefan Giglio back among their ranks.

After the 1-1 draw against Hibernians, the Blues will be eager to return to winning form this evening to consolidate their lead at the top.

On the other hand, Pieta are still in troubled waters and against a formidable team as Sliema are, they stand few chances of getting away with a positive result, even if they are desperate to win points in their quest to avoid the Relegation Pool.

The departure of Woods, Cleaven Frendo, Anatole Debono and Saviour Darmanin will definitely not help their cause and they have now become firm candidates to join Msida, St Patrick and Lija in the Relegation Pool.

The Valletta-Hibernians match promises to be another keenly contested encounter where the two sides will be hoping to win as much points as possible to keep up the pace with the leaders, especially if the Blues win the three points from the first match.

Valletta had their positive 12-match run halted by Birkirkara last Sunday as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat, but with Sliema dropping two points against Hibs, not much damage was done by that defeat to the Stripes.

In fact, they remain just three points behind the Wanderers and will certainly remain strong contenders.

Hibernians have made giant strides in the second round of the first phase and the team looks capable of offering a very strong challenge as well.

Today, they will have back Nigerian midfielder Essien Mbong and Aaron Xuereb after having missed the 1-1 draw against Sliema due to suspension.

The Paolites are well aware that a victory over the citizens today will put them alongside their opponents in second place on 33 points.

Programme

Ta’ Qali national stadium: 6pm Pieta H.-Sliema W.; 8pm Hibernians-Valletta

Centenary Stadium: Third Division 6pm Kirkop-Zurrieq; 8pm Birzebbuga SP-Luqa SA.