Less than four weeks after their highly-charged FA Trophy final, neighbouring rivals Valletta and Floriana will renew hostilities in the opening game of the pre-season Euro Cup this evening (kick-off 7.30 p.m.).
With memories of the KO showdown still fresh, today’s derby is expected to draw a sell-out crowd to the Hibs Stadium amid high expectations of a fiercely-contested clash between these two rivals.
While every football fan craves an exciting lift-off to the new season, it is hoped that today’s match produces no repeat of the despicable incidents that marred the FA Trophy final.
Although the Euro Cup can’t be compared to the Trophy in terms of prestige, Valletta will be looking at today’s fixture as a chance to soften the disappointment of their 1-0 defeat to Floriana on May 22.
On the other hand, the Greens will undoubtedly be giving their all to kick off their 2011/12 commitments with a positive result against the champions, knowing that a victory today would significantly improve their chances of marking their return to this tournament by lifting the trophy.
Floriana’s last success in this competition, then known as the Lowenbrau Cup, stems back to 1993 when they had to share the honour with, ironically, Valletta. The Citizens last won this tournament in 2000.
As the overriding aim of the Euro Cup is to aid the preparations of the Maltese clubs for their upcoming European commitments, Jesmond Zerafa and Michael Woods, the respective coaches of Valletta and Floriana, will surely be using these matches to gauge the level of fitness and sharpness of their players.
The Euro Cup fixtures also enable the participating teams to give a run-out to the new signings and trialists.
Zerafa is expected to include newcomer Ousseni Zongo and Brazilian striker William Barbosa Da Silva, currently on trial with the Citizens, in his squad while Woods will have three trialists, namely Italian striker Salvatore Amirante, French winger L'Imam Seydi and English defender John Hardiker.
“These games are very useful for our preparations for the Champions League games,” Zerafa said. “The first game is Valletta vs Floriana and everyone knows that this fixture carries an extra edge.
“We ended the season on a sour note after losing to Floriana in the Trophy final. I expect the players to give their utmost to make amends for that defeat. We have to do our best to launch our campaign with a positive result against our rivals.”
The Valletta coach can’t rely on a full squad today as Brazilian defender Ramon is ruled out for six weeks with a groin injury.
Defender Jonathan Caruana and Gilbert Agius are also expected to miss out as they have slight injuries while midfielder Jamie Pace is out after receiving a three-match ban after the FA Trophy final. Striker Terrence Scerri will serve the first of a long 13-match suspension.
Dyson Falzon and Cleaven Frendo have rejoined Valletta after loan spells with Ħamrun Spartans and Qormi respectively. With the draw of the first qualifying rounds of the Champions League due on Monday, Valletta, who will face either San Marino’s Tre Fiori or Andorra’s Santa Coloma, will be looking to gain a morale-booster from their participation in the Euro Cup.
“These games are important because at this time of the year, it’s very difficult to arrange friendlies,” Zerafa said.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to step up our preparations for Europe. Everyone knows that for Valletta, the Champions League is a very important objective but we must keep our feet on the ground and try to gain maximum benefits from our Euro Cup matches.”
Floriana’s preparations for their Europa League games have been beset by the uncertainty surrounding the players who were on loan with them last season, namely Christian Cassar and Thomas Paris who have returned to Marsaxlokk and Birkirkara respectively.
Nigerian forward Daniel Nwoke has not renewed his contract with Floriana while Argentine midfielder Pablo Doffo is still on holiday in his homeland.
“The principal aim is to prepare for our Europa League matches next month,” Woods said.
“These games will also give us a good idea about our physical condition.
“The biggest difficulty we’ve had so far is that the players in the national squads continued to train with the MFA after the end of the season. Our preparations have been fragmented as we didn’t have a full squad to work with for a long period.
“That said, I’m generally satisfied with our progress so far but we have to improve.”
Although Woods’s top priority is to use this warm-up tournament to boost his team’s preparations for their Europa League commitments, he admitted that the rivalry between Floriana and Valletta means that both teams will be fired up to win.
“This fixture always generates significant interest among the fans,” Woods said. “I think that Valletta will be going all out to make up for their defeat in the Trophy. Derbies are always competitive.”
The losing team of today’s curtain-raiser will meet Birkirkara, the country’s third side in the 2011-12 UEFA competitions, in the second game on Monday. If today’s match ends in a draw, Valletta will play Birkirkara.
The third and final game of the tournament is scheduled for June 23.