The weekend Bank of Valletta Premier League matches at the weekend confirmed that there will be three somewhat tight battles in the remaining matches.

Current leaders Birkirkara and defending champions Sliema will be battling it out for the title while Marsaxlokk, Hibernians and Valletta will be fighting tooth and nail to earn a place in European football next season through the third place and possibly the fourth place. At the other end, the relegation issue was thrown wide open following Pieta’s defeat of Floriana on Saturday.

The picture will become clearer the coming weekend as the first round of this second phase comes to an end. There is no doubt that the big clash will be that on Sunday between the leaders and runners-up, Birkirkara and Sliema, but the battle for third place will take an interesting turn with Marsaxlokk facing each other and Valletta meeting bottom placed Msida on Saturday. And to cap it all, there is the Floriana-Mosta Relegation Pool clash on Sunday which should make a visit to Ta’ Qali at the weekend worthwhile.

The past weekend, Birkirkara were expected to be given a tough time by Hibernians. The 3-1 win clearly indicates the Stripes’ superiority, especially in the first half, but it is only fair to say that the Paolites were unlucky in the second half. Had that Failla shot entered the net instead of hitting the post for a 2-2 draw just before the Stripes clinched their third goal, I might have been writing another story today.

But it was evident that, on the day, Birkirkara deserved their victory. In the first half, Hibs took an early lead, but then they had to suffer the initiative to the Stripes who not only got back on level terms, but also threatened to overwhelm the Paolites before they eventually took the lead through a penalty near the end of the half.

The victory assured them of the top spot as Sliema were considered overwhelming favourites to beat bottom-placed Msida and collect three more points.

And so they did the next day when they beat the Saints 4-1, though they had to wait till the second half to score the vital goals after a 1-1 draw at the interval.

However, there was never any doubt as to where the points were going, especially in the second half, as Msida rarely, if ever, tested Akanji again, before Sliema took a commanding 4-1 lead.

Like Birkirkara, the champions now also seem to be well prepared for next Sunday’s tough battle. All is set for an intriguing clash where a victory for Birkirkara will put them in a commanding position with a five-point lead, while a victory for Sliema will see the Blues leading by one point over their rivals. A draw will keep Birkirkara two points ahead.

The match between Valletta and Marsaxlokk was a real thriller, at least in the second half. Then, it exploded into real life after an uneventful opening 45 minutes with seven goals being scored in the second half, the winner for the Citizens coming after Marsaxlokk recovered a 3-0 deficit in just eight minutes.

Valletta’s performance confirmed yet again their great fighting spirit as they are passing again through a good moment – in time for a splendid end to the season which appeared to be leading to disaster before Christmas.

Valletta must be considered as the most enterprising side of this second phase. Now Paul Zammit’s side is just four points adrift of Marsaxlokk and just one point below Hibernians in the standings. And there are six more matches to be played!

On their part, this was another disappointing defeat for Marsaxlokk who have seen their chances of winning the title vanish in these opening clashes of the second phase.

And unless they start winning once again, they will also be overtaken in the standings missing out completely on the chance of an automatic place in Europe.

In the Relegation Pool, Pieta Hotspurs did themselves a world of good as they turned defeat into victory in the last 10 minutes of their match against Floriana.

Yet, before they got their equaliser, it would have been a totally different story had Eviparker not wasted a glorious chance, presented to him on a plate by team-mate Adrian Mifsud. Had the Nigerian striker scored, it would have been 2-0 and it would have become much more difficult for Pieta.

Instead, they were allowed to fight back. And they did not just equalise, but also went on to score the winning goal which allows them to breathe new life in their battle against relegation.