Sliema’s Stanley Ohawuchi (left) goes past Birkirkara’s Alejandro Mendoza during a match last season. Photo: Paul Zammit Cutajar

The 2013 Euro Cup kicks off this evening when champions Birkirkara take on Sliema Wanderers in the opening match at the Centenary Stadium (kick-off 8pm).

Formerly known as the Lowenbrau Cup, this pre-season competition is intended to aid the preparations of the Maltese teams ahead of their upcoming comm-itments in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Until last year, the Euro Cup was recognised as one of the official MFA competitions but a few weeks ago, the status of the tournament was changed to a friendly event.

This move is aimed at ensuring that the Euro Cup serves its purpose as a warm-up event while enabling the coaches to try out new players, especially foreigners, and the young elements in their squad. Under the revised Euro Cup regulations, coaches can make up to seven substitutions during games.

As coach Paul Zammit is due to fly to Italy today for the final phase of his Pro coaching course at the FIGC’s technical base in Coverciano, Birkirkara will be under the charge of assistant coach Peter Pullicino for this evening’s match.

Birkirkara are expected to give a run-out to Botswana forward Sekhana Koko and two French players who are training with the champions on a trial basis. The national team players, namely goalkeeper Justin Haber, midfielders Gareth Sciberras, Paul Fenech and Rowen Muscat, and winger Edward Herrera, will not be involved.

Of the foreign players Birkirkara had last season, only Spanish defender Alejandro Mendoza and Nigerian forward Shola Shodiya Haruna have started pre-season training with the team.

Defender Nikola Vukanac is currently undergoing a series of trials in Serbia and Austria and Brazilian centre-half Rodrigo Pereira has been training with a club in China.

Brazilian forward Jhonnattann is still contracted to Birkirkara for another year but he is evaluating an approach from a club in his homeland.

Although Zammit is prepared to give Vukanac, Pereira and Jhonnattann a few more days to sort out their futures, he has already earmarked a host of targets, including defenders from Spain and Africa.

Birkirkara, who resumed training last week, will enter the fray in the second qualifying round of the Champions League with the first legs scheduled for July 16/17.

Sliema Wanderers, who have secured a place in the first qualifying round of the Europa League on the back of their fourth-place finish in the Premier League, began their pre-season training on June 3.

Italian coach Alfonso Greco is not expected to have many new faces in his squad for tonight’s game as the Blues have retained most of the foreign players they had last season, namely Italians Paltemio Barbetti and Stefano Bianciardi, Argentine duo Matias Muchardi and Ariel Laudisi and Nigerian forward Stanley Ohawuchi.

A Brazilian striker is expected to begin a trial with Sliema this week while winger Trevor Cilia has returned from his loan spell with Floriana.

Hibernians, now under the charge of new coach Branko Nisevic, meet Valletta in the second game of the Euro Cup tomorrow.

Euro Cup fixtures
Centenary Stadium (kick-offs 8pm)
Today: Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers; Tomorrow: Hibernians vs Valletta; Friday: Hibs vs Sliema; Saturday: Birkirkara vs Valletta; June 25: Sliema vs Valletta; June 26: Birkirkara vs Hibs.

Premier League

Meanwhile, the Malta FA have published the fixtures sequence (see table above) of the first phase of the 2013/14 BOV Premier League after the draw was made during the MFA Awards Night last Friday.

Every top-flight club was assigned a letter, drawn by lot, to determine their match schedule for the opening two rounds.

Champions Birkirkara (D) who launch their title defence against Rabat Ajax (C), will meet last season’s runners-up Hibernians (J) on the fifth day of the season and rivals Valletta (K) on the 10th.

Valletta, who kick off their campaign against Mosta (L), face Hibs and rivals Floriana (F) in their second and third league games.