Preview Day 18: Valletta vs Pieta Published on: 10-01-2015
Valletta coach Ivan Zammit is likely to remind his players of the popular saying ‘once bitten, twice shy’ after the champions were on the receiving end of a shock 2-1 defeat to Pietà Hotspurs in the first round.
Midfielder Roderick Briffa and defender Jonathan Caruana are available for the Citizens after serving suspension but Shaun Bajada is still recovering from a hamstring problem.
Christian Caruana will also miss out after suffering an injury in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat of Qormi.
Italian goalkeeper Pietro Marino has rejoined the Citizens but is not expected to be in the squad today as Valletta were still waiting for his international clearance yesterday.
Pietà Hotspurs have yet to bring in replacements for Brazilian striker Rafael Xavier, Serbian midfielder Nikola Tasic and Terrence Agius.
Brazilians Gabriel and Leonardo Fortunato are back in the fray after missing the 2-1 defeat to Sliema through suspension but Cain Attard is out with a broken hand and Jurgen Pisani is struggling with a knee injury.
On the plus side, Kyle Cesare is available for selection after tests showed that the rib injury he suffered during last weekend’s game was not as serious as initially feared.
First round: Pietà vs Valletta 2-1.
Source - Times of Malta
