Valletta are thrilled by the prospect of becoming the first Maltese team to advance to the third qualifying round of the Champions League but coach Jesmond Zerafa is keeping his feet firmly grounded ahead of their clash with Lithuanian champions FK Ekranas.
Zerafa warned his players that they must be more clinical in their finishing after Valletta squandered a plethora of chances in their come-from-behind 2-1 home victory over San Marino outfit SP Tre Fiori on Wednesday.
“It was an important game for us,” Zerafa said. “I was disappointed with our performance in the first half but the players showed character after the break. It was one-way traffic in the second half but we were careless in front of goal.
“Had we taken our chances, we would have won by a much bigger margin. The second qualifying round match against Ekranas will be tougher and we certainly can’t afford to be wasteful in attack.
“I believe in the abilities of my players and I also think that the team has learned a great deal from our two games against Tre Fiori.
“Tre Fiori adopted a prudent approach and I’m sure we will come across many teams in the league who will try to defend against us.
“Going back to Wednesday’s game, the team became a bit apprehensive after Tre Fiori opened the scoring but I was never afraid that we would lose the game. I was always confident that we would score goals and in the second half we were all over our opponents.
“We are delighted to have made it through to the second qualifying round but we must keep our feet on the ground to make sure that our preparations for the Ekranas matches are spot-on.”
The City coach is bracing himself for two daunting encounters against FK Ekranas who are still unbeaten after 17 matches in the Lithuanian championship.
“Ekranas are very strong in their country,” Zerafa said. “They are unbeaten after 17 league games. I’ve watched their last match (at home to Kruoja) and the result was a 0-0 draw. Their foreign players can make a difference but I believe we can make it.
“The first leg (at home on Tuesday) will be crucial. The result will dictate whether we have a chance of progressing to the third qualifying round. Ekranas are better than us but I know that my players will be up for the challenge.”
The signing of Michael Mifsud is a boost for Valletta’s prospects of overcoming Ekranas but Zerafa has been at pains to keep the expectations surrounding the Malta striker in check.
“Everyone knows the potential of Michael Mifsud and I believe every coach wants to have a player like him in his team,” Zerafa said.
“But, I always stress that one player alone can’t win you games. I’m sure that Michael will be made welcome by his team-mates. His addition increases the competition for places and enhances the technical level of the squad. Michael is one of many good players we have at Valletta.”
The availability of Mifsud for the clash with Ekranas will assume added significance if Denni fails to recover from the hamstring injury that forced him off late in the first half of Wednesday’s game against Tre Fiori.