Birkirkara face Swieqi in Women’s League
The clash between title con‐ tenders Birkirkara and Swieqi United stands out as the mar‐ quee matchup of the week.
Birkirkara, who beat Montene‐ gro’s Breznica in their Champi‐ ons League qualifying semi‐final before losing to Anderlecht in the final, face a significant test as they take on Swieqi, their main antagonist in recent years.
However, the Stripes will be without their inspirational cap‐ tain Stephania Farrugia, who will sit out for a long period of time.
The Malta women defender sustained a knee injury during their Anderlecht match, Farru‐ gia’s 30th appearance in the Champions League.
Farrugia’s leadership and de‐ fensive prowess have been vital for the team’s success, and her absence will be a major blow for the defending champions.
Vince Galea’s Birkirkara have started their league campaign with two victories, beating San Ġwann and Lija Athletic.
On the other hand, Dorianne Theuma’s bounced back from their opening defeat against Hi‐ bernians to beat Valletta and se‐ cure their first three points of the season.
The Owls will welcome back talented forwardSalamatu Abdu‐ lai, who has just returned from a successful stint in the U‐20 World Cup.
The Ghana player showcased her goal‐scoring ability on the in‐ ternational stage, netting two goals in their final group game against New Zealand.
Elsewhere, Mġarr meet Valletta in what could prove to be a trick‐ ier encounter.
The Greens have shown solid form early in the season, dis‐ mantling Mtarfa while securing a point against Hibernians.
Valletta, on their part, could only secure a point against Lija in their opening game albeit the re‐ sult has been turned to a 3‐0 in favour to Lija after the latter lodged a protest.
The Citizens gave Swieqi a run for their money in their second game before falling to defeat in the closing stages of the game.
In the other game of the week, San Ġwann take on Lija.
San Ġwann have picked up their first win of the season after beating Mtarfa in their last match while Lija have three points hav‐ ing had their protest upheld.
In their last league outing, Lija lost narrowly to defending champions Birkirkara.