It is another ‘hot’ Premier League weekend as the four teams contesting a place in the Top Six battle it out in the 17th round which started yesterday evening.

In this round, international midfielder Ryan Fenech will be facing his former team-mates at Hamrun when Valletta take on the Spartans in the second match this afternoon.

In the opener, Birkirkara will be facing Qormi in a crucial match for the Yellow Blacks who must win to keep their hopes alive.

Tomorrow, the beleagured Floriana side will be facing their old rivals Sliema while in the match that follows, the Paolites will meet neighbours Tarxien Rainbows in the derby.

Valletta, already enjoying a healthy 12-point lead at the top of the standings, could well extend their lead this weekend if they win again today and Tarxien fail to collect maximum points tomorrow from their derby against the Paolites.

The Citizens have continued to strengthen their ranks in the January transfer window. After the arrival of Ryan Fenech, now they also have Brazilian striker Andrade Antunes Anderson who has left a very good impression during training sessions.

It is still not known who Andrade will be replacing in Jesmond Zerafa’s side, if he is selected to be in the starting line up. But one thing is certain. His presence in the squad will further motivate the players to do their best to convince the coach to include them in the first string.

The Spartans are aware that they have a daring task ahead of them. They have now gone through four consecutive defeats and they need to register a positive result today in the hope that Qormi fail to win against Birkirkara in the opening match.

If Qormi win, Hamrun will be under more pressure as the Yellow Blacks will overtake them by one point in the standings with just one more match to go before the start of the second phase.

Qormi were boosted by the official news that Michael Mifsud had signed for the club yesterday. Mifsud will be a Qormi player till the end of the season and I believe coach Stephen Azzopardi will certainly push him into the starting line-up in an effort to win the three points and remain in contention for the fifth or sixth Top Six places.

On the other hand, the Stripes were yesterday awaiting the arrival of the clearance certificate of their new signing Ibrahim Babatunde, a Nigerian striker, who had made a name for himself while with Msida St Joseph a few years ago. If that arrives in time, he will be able to make his debut this afternoon.

Tomorrow, the top clash will be that between Floriana and Sliema, the two ‘Old Firm’ partners.

The Greens have dropped to third place after their defeat against Tarxien. The Michael Mifsud saga – he had almost signed for them the past few days – has angered the fans vis-à-vis with some of the club’s administrators and it even led president Johann Said to resign.

However, yesterday evening the Floriana committee ironed out the differences and Said was reinstated as president, with all other members holding their posts.

The Greens now also have to face their eternal rivals without central defender Tyrone Farrugia who is suspended.

On their part, Sliema will certainly be looking forward to take advantage of the situation at Floriana and try to gain the three points.

The Blues now have former Serbian striker Danilo Doncic as their new coach while newcomer Etienne Barbara will be teaming up with the other January newcomer, Chakib Lachkem of Tunisia in an effort to revive the club’s dwindling fortunes.

If they fail to win, Sliema will be just one short step away from having to play in the Relegation Pool in the second phase.

In the final match on the programme, Tarxien Rainbows will be seeking to consolidate their second placing in the standings as they face their neighbours Hibernians.

As in previous encounters between these two teams, one expects a keen tussle for the points, even if the Paolites are passing through one of their worst ever seasons in the Premier League.

Mark Miller’s boys must certainly be aware that points won in these last two matches – though hard to come by on their current form – will be very useful in the second phase, when they can expect a veritable challenge to maintain their status among the elite.