Valletta is going head-to head with Hibernians

The Maltese Premier League is back next week and it brings with it a sense of anticipation and what may be to come from the season to come. With two teams coming up against each other who have spent the most amount of time in the top flight, it sets off the league in a traditional way. 

Two games will be played before it but the standout game from the opening weekend of fixtures is Valetta vs Hibernians.

Performance last season

The 2021/22 season is in the history books now but they were a stark contrast for the two historic clubs.

Starting with Hibernians who ran away with the league last year who picked up their 13th ever Premier League title. Not only did they win the league they almost made it an invicible season but lost just once last year. However, despite that slight disappointment they were imperious last year in the league. 

Valletta, however, were ever so disappointing and even fell into the relegation play off part of the league when it split. They did finish top of the split and were in no real danger of relegation but it is not a place for a club who have won the league 25 times. They will certainly be hoping that the 2022/23 season will be different.

Head to head last season

Last year saw a 1-1 draw between the two sides before Hibernians romped home 4-1 winners. This does not particularly bode well for Valetta who will be hoping that home advantage will work in their favour. 

Who to look out for?

The main player to look out for is quite clearly Jurgen Degabriele of Hibernians. The striker scored 14 goals last season and pipped teammate Jake Grech to 2022 MFPA Award for the best player in the league.

The Maltese international has played three times already in Europe this year and already found the net once as well as having one assist to his name. He will be a real danger to the Valetta back line and they will certainly have to be better than they were last year as he grabbed two goals against them.

Whereas Valetta will be hoping that Ivan Čurjurić will be able to pull the strings in midfield and give them some chance of getting something out of this game.

Prediction

There only seems to be one winner. Hibernians have already been playing in Europe so will be up to the pace of the game quicker than Valetta which means there could be some early goals if Valetta are not at the races quick enough.

It could be a real mauling for Valetta and Hibernians could state their intentions for the season ahead with this game. 

However, the only way Valetta stand any chance is if they are able to use their heads, like people who use tradingforexsites.com, and frustrate Hibernians for the 90 minutes but they have a lot to prove after such a disappointing year last year.