Match Day 2 Preview - The Malta BOV ePremier League

Match Day 2 of the Bov ePremier League is almost underway, with a number of interesting ties to look forward to. It sees the best FIFA players in Malta competing for a chance to establish themselves as the dominant force in the region.

The latest leg of the FIFA 20 Global Series has already seen the table beginning to take shape, with four teams already up to double figures.

A Promising Start for Santa Lucia and Hibs 

Santa Lucia FC sit at the top of the summit, with Hibernians just two points behind with as many games in hand. The latter is represented by Maltese international Dunstan Vella, who has won every match so far in the tournament.

Vella qualified after beating veteran Manuel Schembri (Haller10), and juggles playing FIFA with being contracted for Hibs, as well as working for an insurance company part-time. It’s not a bad return for a player who can only dedicate up to an hour per day to the game.

His ePremier League side are up against the struggling Tarxien Rainbows who have earned only three points from four games. It’s also a highly anticipated local derby game, with both teams originating from neighbouring towns. 

Santa Lucia are represented by the highly-rated chrismeister888, who is undoubtedly one of the best FIFA players in Europe. 

Picked as a likely victor by the majority of his fellow players, he’s already drawn twice, although he has conceded just three goals for the 17 in reply. He won’t be featured on the main channel this week as he’s travelling for the FIFA eClub World Cup being held in Milan this weekend but it’s worth keeping an eye on his results in later games.

Sirens Featured On the Main Channel Again 

Elsewhere, Sirens currently sit in twelfth, having won a single game at the expense of Senglea Athletic. Rudy Grech made it clear that he was disappointed with results from Match Week one, but he’ll have another chance to make amends in the opening game of the night. He’s up against Mosta FC, currently seventh in the league.

Grech will then have to contend with third placed Hamrun Spartans in his second televised game, undefeated on 10 points along with Balzan FC.

Early Struggles for Gudja and Sliema 

In the lower half of the table, Gudja United have yet to earn a point, after a poor start which saw them concede 12 goals in their opening four games. One of the oldest players in the competition, Haller10 will be hoping that his experience pays off at the second time of asking.

He’s up against Sliema Wanderers in one of the featured games on the main channel. Sliema’s Alessio10 played for Maltese side Tarxien when he was younger, while his virtual team currently occupies the lower end of the table.

As always, El Fenomeno is likely to lead the line for most teams in the league, having bagged a majority of the goals in the first match week along with Leo Messi and R9’s Portuguese namesake. The trio have been deadly so far, although the duo of TOTS Virgil van Dijk and TOTS Matthijs de Ligt have proved to be a formidable duo for most of the players at the top of the table.

Preferred Personnel 

While nobody is out of the title race mathematically, it’s hard to imagine the teams at the top dropping more than a few points until they’re matched up against each other. For now, all eyes will be on Dunstan Vella as he aims to break away from the chasing pack. 

It’s only week two, but there could soon be daylight between the teams at the top. Stay tuned on Thursday to find out what happens!