By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter 
Griffiths
WESTERN BUREAU:
PRESEASON FAVOURITES Rivoli of St. Catherine and former two-time National Premier League champions Seba United will meet at Frome Sports Club this evening at 6:00 p.m. in the mid-season final of the National A League.
The teams topped their respective zones after the first round to earn their places in today's game that offers three bonus points, $45,000 and a trophy.
Rivoli topped Zone A with 25 points, well ahead of second-placed Axum, while Seba just managed to edge Bull Bay by the slimmest margin to win Zone B.
The Montego Bay team got the edge on the third tiebreaker, by virtue of scoring more goals after the teams were tied on points and goal-difference. Both teams had plus-12 goal differences but Seba had scored 24 goals to Bull Bay's 23.
Interestingly, Seba and Rivoli ended the first round with identical goals for and against, 24 for and 12 against.
While the teams are expressing confidence in their ability to take the title, Rivoli go into the game on a more positive note, unbeaten in their past 10 games while Seba collected just one point from their past two outings.
Seba's form before the final was not much of a distraction for coach Dr. Dean Weatherly who told The Gleaner he was confident his team would rise to the occasion on the day.
Weatherly said after seeing Rivoli in their drawn cross-zone game in late November that he thought there were some areas his team could exploit. While not going into any details, Weatherly said he thought his team stood a very good chance in the game.
Rivoli's Harold Thomas, who guided another Spanish Town club, Central Link, to two semi-finals in the A League also feels his team is ready for the game.
Thomas said his team was ready for the big day but was also respectful of its opponents, "both teams are on the same mission and will not allow anything to stand in their way", he said.
Both teams have added players since they last met and while each will be without a starter due to suspension, they are expected to be at full strength otherwise.
The exciting Cornwall College attacking midfielder Dane Richards looked the part when he started for Seba against Axum on Sunday and should retain his place alongside captain Daniel Ricketts, Norman Foster and Iton Scott.
The diminutive Nigerian, Mobi Oparaku, will make his first trip to western Jamaica and has added some depth to a Rivoli team which already includes national midfielder Winston Griffiths, Ray Graham, Shawn Simpson and Kingsley Wellington.
Griffiths will be playing his second game after being sidelined for a month with a concussion he got in the Seba game.
TODAY'S GAME
Seba vs Rivoli at Frome - 6:00 p.m.
