With just one match to go for the end of the competition, the third place is still up for grabs as Birkirkara and Valletta are locked in a tight battle which will only be decided this weekend.

Both teams won their commitments the past weekend. Birkirkara beat Msida 2-1 and Valletta beat newly crowned champions Marsaxlokk 1-0 with the Stripes therefore maintaining their two-point lead over the citizens.

On Friday Birkirkara will be facing Hibernians in their last match while the day after, Valletta will be meeting Msida St Joseph. A victory for Birkirkara will spell the end for Valletta’s chances, even if they beat Msida on Saturday. A draw for the Stripes and a victory for Valletta will see the two teams facing each other in a decider to determine the third placing which ascertains the occupier of a place in European football next season.

Neither Hibernians nor Msida have any further interest in the proceedings, but both are in the semi-finals of the FA Trophy, the winners of which will earn the right to represent Malta in next season’s UEFA Cup. So this weekend’s matches will also serve a purpose for these two teams as they prepare for next week’s Trophy clashes against Valletta and Msida respectively.

The situation with regards to participation in the European competitions next season is as follows:

Marsaxlokk will play in the Champions league and Sliema are sure to play in the UEFA Cup thanks to the runners-up position in the league. If Sliema win the trophy, it will not be the finalists who will advance to the UEFA Cup, but the third placed in the League, with the fourth placed then taking part in the Intertoto Cup. This means also that Valletta, Hibernians and Msida can only earn a UEFA Cup berth by winning the Trophy. Rules at present state that only if the winners of the Trophy were the champions would the finalists be admitted into the UEFA Cup. This year, this does not apply as Marsaxlokk have been eliminated from that competition.

In any case, the interest in the league has been maintained till the very end even if Marsaxlokk made sure of the title quite early, leaving their opponents firmly behind.

Last Monday evening’s defeat came as a surprise. They found in Valletta a very tough obstacle as the citizens showed great determination and commitment to score their winner just before the end to keep their third place hopes alive. A draw would have seen their dream coming to an end.

But it must be said that although Marsaxlokk never showed their true mettle, Valletta also played their best match of the season and could have even registered a more comfortable victory had Gilbert Agius and Ian Zammit not missed some easy chances which came their way.

Marsaxlokk disappointed their followers. They did not exist on the field of play, especially their strikers who could never make an impact. They were subdued by a superior Valletta side and suffice to say that they were not given the chance to have a real pot at Saviour Darmanin who had quite an easy time in goal.

On Sunday, Sliema Wanderers made sure of the runners-up spot by grabbing the point they needed from a 1-1 draw with Hibernians. They now have an unassailable lead over Birkirkara and the Blues are sure of playing in the UEFA Cup.

The day before, Birkirkara had to fight harder than expected to get the better of a fighting Msida side, eventually winning the encounter 2-1 after having been 1-0 in arrears at the interval.

The Relegation Pool matches had no particular interest, but Marsa must have had some satisfaction for being able to score their first victory of the season in a 3-1 score over St George’s. And Floriana also finished on top of the Pool after beating Pieta Hotspurs 1-0.

Best player

Luke Dimech (Marsaxlokk)

The champions’ international defender is my pick this weekend after his five-star performance in the match against Valletta on Monday evening.

On a day when no other Marsaxlokk player (apart from goalie Gauci) appeared to be above the mediocre, it was Dimech who shone with his timely interventions and polished defensive play against a Valletta side which searched for the winning goal till the very end.

It was a real pity that Dimech had to finish on the losing end after playing one of his best matches this season. And he was even unlucky to have lost that battle with Siberie in the final moments as the city striker managed to find the net.

The scorers

M’XLOKK (70): D. Bogdanovic 30, A. Schembri 10, K. Sammut 9, H. Doda 8, C. Mamo 2, G. Sciberras 2, J. Pace 2, S. Bajada, M. Licari, S. Garci, C, Frendo, I. Azzopardi (Floriana) og, R. Conceicao (St George’s) og

MSIDA SJ (38): D. Nwoke 13, I. Babatunde 11, O. Zongo 4, R. Baldacchino 3, T. Farrugia 2, P. Fenech 2, D. Cachia, P. Pullicino, S. Bajada

VALLETTA (53): S. Monesterolo 16, G. Agius 10, R. Siberie 6, D. Falzon 4, B. Nisevic 3, K. Magro 2, D. Zarb 2, E. Uzeh 2, I. Zammit 3, M. Grima 2, J. Grioli, M. Barbara, D. Camilleri

FLORIANA (41): A. Mifsud 9, W. Gomes 8, T. Cilia 6, M. Micallef 5, C. Caruana 3, C. Cassar 2, R. Newell 2, I. Azzopardi, M. Gauci, G. Rtsa, Spasojevic, A. Buhagiar, K. Formosa

HIBS (45): T. Scerri 14, A. Cohen 8, N. Chukunyere 6, M. Bartolo 4, P. C. Doffo 3, T. Caruana 2, A. Xuereb 2, U. Nwoko, A. Pulis, J. Vella 2, T. Farrugia, K. Spiteri

BIRKIRKARA (46): J.P. Mifsud Triganza 11, E. Barbara 9, M. Galea 6, G. Mallia 3, W. Camenzuli 2, D. Larrossa 3, R. Briffa 2, A. Ciantar 2, A. Paradiso, M. Calascione, L. Galea, MA Bonnici, H. Sbai, P. Monye, J. Holland, J. Zerafa

SLIEMA (49): I. Woods 20, A. Madzar 7, A. Muscat 4, C. Nwoko 4, R. Bajada 4, M. Galea 2, Z. Zvoboda 2, O. Anonam 2, J. Chetcuti, M. Scerri, S. Giglio, M. DiLello

MARSA (19): A. Scerri 4, V. Bellia 3, A. Ewurun 2, E. Yantchev 2, W. Chircop 2, I. Umoru 2, B. Zammit, D. Cucciardi, K. Scerri, S. Cutajar

ST GEORGE’S (18): Effiong 6, L. Mizzi 3, R. Conceicao 3, S. Sciberras, E. do Nascimento, L. Pace, H. Schembri, J. Spiteri, N. Abela

PIETA H. (25): M. Deanov 6, S. Kondev 4, D. Kokavessis 3, D. Theuma 2, A. Decesare 2, A. Debono, C. Pulo, R. Galabov, S. Ciscaldi, D. Camenzuli, D. Mifsud, Q. Refalo, K. Formosa (Floriana) og

Next matches

Friday 11 May

6pm Marsa-Floriana

8pm Hibernians-Birkirkara

Saturday 12 May

3pm Pieta H.-St George’s

5pm Msida SJ-Valletta

Sunday 13 May

4pm Sliema W.-Marsaxlokk