Champions Tivoli Gardens, fresh from a one-match respite, host the improving Waterhouse, while leaders St Georges travel to cellar team Humble Lions hoping to maintain pole position.

In other Digicel Premier League games, Arnett Gardens tackle Portmore United; Harbour View take on Boys’ Town; Village United play Sporting Central and Rivoli United meet August Town.

Second-placed Tivoli, on 24 points, are a point behind St Georges, but have a game in hand. They face a dangerous opponent in a sixth-placed Waterhouse, who are on the rise.

In their first-round encounter, Tivoli won 2-0, but will have to deal with a Waterhouse team bubbling with confidence after winning five of their last seven games.

Under-fire coach Geoffrey Maxwell has seemingly got the pressure off his back and will be looking to build on the momentum which had propelled his team to 16 points – nine behind the leaders – after losing the first five matches.

It should be an interesting encounter and it is to be seen how Tivoli respond after laying to rest their inspirational captain Oraine Simson. However, they should expect no favours from Waterhouse.

Meanwhile St Georges, on 25 points, will have a difficult time against a Humble Lions (seven) eager to resuscitate their campaign.

Although Humble Lions have not turned their Effortville venue into a fortress, they always make it uncomfortable for visiting teams with their hard running and tackling.

Their first match-up ended 0-0 at Lynch Park and another close encounter is expected.

Another intriguing meeting pits perennial rivals Harbour View against Boys’ Town in a battle between the third- and fourth-placed teams.

Harbour View, with six wins from 11 games, are third on 22 points, while Boys’ Town, with five wins from 12 games, occupy fourth on 20 points.

Both teams will be hoping to stay in touch with the leaders, with Harbour View having a slim chance of going atop if St Georges lose.

The former champions battled to a 2-2 draw in the first round, but Boys’ Town have hit a rich vein of form, winning their last four games, and will be hard to suppress.

Harbour View have won their last two games but have surprisingly won only once this season at home. They will be looking to change all that and give their home fans something to cheer about.

Former champions Arnett Gardens, in seventh spot with 14 points, will be hunting some measure of revenge when they host fifth-placed Portmore United, on 17 points.

Arnett, who also started the season with four consecutive losses, have recovered sufficiently to be clear of the relegation zone and are actually challenging for a top-six spot.

Ironically, Portmore will be without inspirational captain Anthony Modeste, who is de facto training with Arnett Gardens and hoping to secure a move when the January transfer window opens.

Modeste’s absence could leave a gaping hole in the Portmore defence for Leon Strickland, Kevin Wilson, Kevin King and company to exploit. But Portmore are a deep team and will be difficult to beat.

Both Village (12) and Sporting Central (10) will be looking for a rare win to bolster their campaign.

The Donovan Duckie-coached Sporting have registered two wins all season and have not won any of their last eight games, dating back to September 20.

Trelawny-based Village have also registered only two wins all season and have lost their last four games. Today’s encounter should thus be important for both teams who are striving to avoid the clutches of relegation.

The Rivoli United-August Town game could go either way, but the Bradley Stewart-coached unit should be given the edge, especially with the seven-goal marksman Devon Hodges back from international duty.

Today’s Schedule

3:00 pm Village United vs Sporting Central Academy @ Elliston Wakeland Centre

3:00 pm Humble Lions vs St Georges @ Effortville Community Centre

4:00 pm Rivoli United vs August Town @ Spanish Town Prison Oval

5:00 pm Tivoli Gardens vs Waterhouse FC @ Edward Seaga Stadium

5:00 pm Harbour View vs Boys’ Town @ Harbour View Mini-Stadium (Televised game)

6:00 pm Arnett Gardens vs Portmore United @ Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex