Champions Hibernians will open their title defence with a clash against Valletta as the draws of the Premier League were held at the Malta FA FA on Monday. This season’s BOV Premier League will have its own old format of being played by 14 teams and will get under way on August 19 with the final match of the season scheduled for April 28. The top team will be crowned Malta champions and will play in the Champions League while the second and third-placed teams will feature in the UEFA Conference League. The Paolites, who won a 13th title crown last season, will be bidding to make a strong start but face a testing start to the campaign. In fact, Hibernians will open their campaign against a Valletta side who will surely be hellbent to make up for a disappointing 2021-22 campaign that saw them miss out on a place in the Top Six, and a place in European football next season. After that opening fixture, the Paolites will be up against Ħamrun Spartans, the team they succeeded as Malta champions last season. Click here for full story