Zammit urges total focus as Birkirkara look to make history

No Maltese club has ever reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League but Birkirkara have the chance to rewrite history when they take on Slovakian side MSK Zilina today (kick-off 7.30 p.m.).

An early goal by Nikola Vukanac in the home match has heightened hopes of a landmark achievement by Birkirkara as the Maltese champions take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their second qualifying round tie with MSK Zilina but coach Paul Zammit has been at pains to put a lid on soaring expectations.

Mindful of Zilina's strength and the fragility of his side's advantage, Zammit has been urging his charges to focus fully on the task at hand. With Zilina under mounting pressure from the fans and media to make amends for their shock defeat in Malta, Zammit is well aware that his players are in for an arduous test at the Pod Dubnom stadium.

"The expectations are sky-high," Zammit told The Times from Slovakia.

"There are journalists everywhere here because there is huge interest in this game.

"I've told my players that this match is a new page. There's a lot of pressure on them to atone for the defeat in Malta because the result of the first leg was a shock for Zilina.

"There's a lot of hype and a big crowd is expected at the stadium. From our point of view, our approach must be built on our performance in the home match. As I've repeated many times, in these matches, concentration and tactical discipline are crucial.

"Zilina will be looking to put us under pressure from the very first minute."

Last weekend, Zilina got their title defence bid off to a winning start after they beat Zlaté Moravce 2-1 with goals from Tomas Majtan and Tomas Oravec.

Zammit must make at least one change from the team that began last week's match at the Centenary Stadium as wing-back Andrew Decesare is ruled out by suspension.

Rowen Muscat, who was unavailable for the first leg, has made the trip to Slovakia but the up-and-coming midfielder is struggling with a knee problem.

Winger Trevor Cilia is out of the reckoning as he's still sidelined with a fractured wrist.

"Rowen is doubtful because he felt a tweak in his knee," Zammit said.

"Andrew's suspension means that there will be at least one change from the team that played in the first leg. Tactically, there may also be some adjustments but Muscat's situation could complicate matters. We'll have to wait and see."

Birkirkara's bold display in the first leg has enhanced Zammit's feelgood factor ahead of this evening's clash.

"More than the result, it's the performance of the team that has increased my belief," Zammit said.

"We have analysed the game and showed the players those parts where we could have done better.

"There were moments during the game when we should have used possession better. Scoring a goal in the first minute conditioned our performance because at the back of their minds, the players felt this need to protect the lead. At times, we surrendered possession too easily but we've worked on this during training.

"I have to say that I was very pleased with our performance. We stayed compact and kept our composure but that doesn't mean that there is no room for improvement. We certainly need to be at our very best here because Zilina will go all out to score an early goal."

Guiding Birkirkara to the third qualifying round of Europe's top competition would represent an extraordinary feat for Zammit but the unassuming coach insisted that he's always striving to improve and take his teams to new heights.

"Football means so much to me that I get very emotional every time my team win something," Zammit said.

"Every achievement is important. In my coaching career, I've climbed up the ladder and I've been lucky to reach important objectives with every team I've worked with. I don't want to mention the issue of qualification because it's still a long way off but I always look ahead.

"We have already done extremely well in the two Champions League matches we've played this year. Obviously, we wish to advance but the further you go, the more difficult it gets."

Hungarian referee Zsolt Szabo will control this evening's match.

The winner of the Zilina-Birkirkara encounter will meet Bulgaria's Litex Lovech.