Floriana launch their bid to retain the FA Trophy with a seemingly straightforward third-round tie against Division Two side Luqa on Sunday as the ‘open-to-all’ knock-out continues with a marathon of 16 games this weekend.

For the first time in many years, the country’s heavyweights enter the fray in the third round after the clubs embraced the Malta FA’s proposal to borrow the template of the popular English FA Cup in order to enhance the allure and surprise element of our own FA Trophy.

Before, the top four finishers in the previous season’s Premier League didn’t play in the FA Trophy before the quarter-final stage but this year, the likes of champions Valletta, Floriana and Birkirkara will make their bow in the third round.

The 12 Premier League sides are joined by eight Division One teams, nine from Division Two, one from Division Three and two Gozitan clubs.

Floriana’s maiden appearance in this season’s FA Trophy will inevitably revive happy memories for the players and fans after the Greens crowned their fairytale run in last year’s competition with a 1-0 win over rivals Valletta in the final.

“Our first match in this season’s FA Trophy brings back nice memories of Floriana’s success last season,” Ivan Woods, the Greens’ match-winning hero in the final, told The Times.

“Winning the Trophy in my first season with Floriana filled me with pride and happiness... it was the stuff of dreams.”

Regarded as outright favourites to advance to the fourth round, Floriana will be wary of complacency, knowing that an early exit at the hands of the unfancied Luqa would spell humiliation and embarrassment, moreso given their status as holders.

“The format of the FA Trophy this year is very similar to the English FA Cup,” Woods said. “We know that surprises happen in cup competitions and big teams have lost to smaller sides in the past.

“We certainly can’t afford to be too relaxed. There is no doubt that we should emerge victorious from this game but the biggest task for our coach is to ensure that we are focused and motivated.”

Floriana go into their clash with Luqa, currently eighth in the 14-team Division Two table, in high spirits after their 4-2 win over Ħamrun Spartans extended their positive streak in the league to six matches.

“The atmosphere is very good as our performances and results in the league have been good in the last few months,” Woods said.

“We’re looking forward to our first match in the FA Trophy. Memories of last season’s win are a source of inspiration to give our all in order to emulate that success. That said, this is a step-by-step process and we’re only concentrating on our first test against Luqa.”

Michael Woods, the Floriana coach, could rest some first-choice players for Sunday’s game.

Luqa reached the third round after beating fellow second division side Żurrieq 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.

Valletta begin their mission to atone for last year’s FA Trophy final upset to Floriana with a match against Division One strugglers St Patrick on Sunday.

Jesmond Zerafa, the Valletta coach, is widely expected to include some fringe players in his starting XI on Sunday.

Valletta will not be at full strength as goalkeeper Andrew Hogg is recovering from a food poison while striker Michael Mifsud and wingers Ousseni Zongo and Dyson Falzon are sidelined with injuries.

The only all-Premier League tie of the third round sees Sliema Wanderers take on Mqabba at the Hibs Stadium on Sunday.

These two teams have already met twice in the league this season. Sliema won 2-0 in the first-round match but Mqabba shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in the second encounter.

Ħamrun Spartans are the first Premier League team in action this weekend as they take on Dingli Swallows, of Division One, this evening.

Languishing at the foothills of the Premier League table, the Spartans will be hoping that a win over Dingli would kickstart their season, especially ahead of their derby with Qormi next month.

Dingli, second from bottom in Division One, booked their place in the third round of the FA Trophy after trouncing Qrendi 5-1.

Premier League high-fliers Hibs have been handed, on paper at least, the easiest route to the fourth round, the draw of which will be made on Tuesday, after being paired with Pembroke Athleta, the only survivors among the Division Three clubs.

Coming from an unexpected defeat to Balzan Youths last week, Hibs are unlikely to take their modest opponents lightly although coach Mark Miller is still expected to name a host of youngsters in his starting XI.

Birkirkara, who lost to Floriana in the semi-finals last year, start off with a game against Division One outfit Vittoriosa Stars, Balzan have a tricky match against Żejtun Corinthians and beleaguered Qormi meet Division Two leaders Gżira United.

Third round fixtures

Today: Centenary Stadium – 18.00 Mellieħa vs Siġġiewi; 20.00 Ħamrun Spartans vs Dingli.

Tomorrow: Centenary Stadium – 14.00 Għargħur vs St George’s; 16.00 Kirkop vs Rabat.

National Stadium – 14.00 Żejtun vs Balzan; 16.00 Gżira vs Qormi.

Tedesco Stadium – 14.00 San Ġwann vs Marsaxlokk; 16.15 Hibs vs Pembroke.

Sunday: Centenary Stadium – 14.00 Luqa vs Floriana; 16.00 Tarxien vs Pietà.

Luxol Stadium – 15.00 Lija vs Victoria Hotspurs.

Gozo Stadium – 16.00 Xewkija vs Senglea.

Hibs Stadium – 14.00 Birkirkara vs Vittoriosa; 16.00 Mqabba vs Sliema.

Tedesco Stadium – 14.00 Msida vs Mosta; 16.15 St Patrick vs Valletta.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.