Birkirkara striker Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza closely shadowed by Bjorn Kristensen during the Euro Cup tournament in June.

Birkirkara and Hibernians set the ball rolling for the start of the 2013-14 football season tonight when they face each other in the Super Cup at the National Stadium (kick-off: 8 p.m.).

After a hectic pre-season, highlighted with participation in UEFA club competitions, cham-pions Birkirkara and Hibernians, the FA Trophy winners, lock horns yet again in a contest that gives each contender an opportunity to claim the first honour of the season while shedding more light on their preparations ahead of the start of the BOV Premier League next week.

Birkirkara and Hibs were the main protagonists of the 2012-13 campaign.

In May, the Stripes beat Hibs 3-1 in a nail-biting championship decider but just days later the Paolites somehow made up for that disappointment by retaining the FA Trophy after a 3-1 win over Qormi in the final.

The fourth league title in their club’s history increased Birkir-kara’s resolve to maintain their status as major challengers and in the off-season they continued to strengthen their squad with the acquisition of striking duo Frank Temile and Demba Toure along with defender Jonathan Maciel.

Coach Paul Zammit has no major injury worries for today’s match as he looks to lead Birkirkara to their sixth success in the season-opening competition.

“We are approaching the new campaign with a clear objective, to keep our place as the top team in the Maltese league,” Zammit told the Times of Malta.

“The Super Cup is the first opportunity for us to show that the league title last season was no flash in the pan and that we have enough quality to do it again.

“We think that Birkirkara did really well in the Champions League qualifying round against a strong side like Maribor.

“But we need to keep showing progress and the Super Cup is a good opportunity to lay down a marker.

“Hibs, too, will be hugely motivated to show their levels of competitivity, especially now that they have a new coach.

“I’m expecting a very close match but I’m hopeful that my players’ desire to succeed will inspire Birkirkara to victory.”

Hibs’ new man in charge is Branko Nisevic.

He was handed the task following the departure of Michael Woods in May.

For Nisevic, the former Malta Under-19 coach, the Hibs’ job represents his first opportunity to lead one of the major teams in the top flight. He is keen to start with a Super Cup victory which would mean Hibs’ third honour in 10 attempts.

“We are heading into this match with a lot of enthusiasm. Winning the Super Cup would be a great fillip for the team with the league starting later this month,” Nisevic said.

“Our pre-season could have gone better though as some of our foreign players returned late for training with the result that in the Europa League matches against FK Vojvodina we were not in our best condition.

“But things look much better now and the team seems to have improved its physical condition.”

Hibernians had a poor record against Birkirkara last season. In fact, the Paolites failed to beat the Stripes in all five meetings in the league, including the champion-ship decider.

The Stripes also prevailed in the Euro Cup friendly tournament in June after beating Hibs 2-0 with goals from Ryan Camenzuli and Toure.

Hibernians have retained al-most the same squad of last season, with goalkeeper Juergen Borg, formerly of Floriana, the only notable acquisition so far.

This evening Nisevic is likely to be without defensive duo Zoran Levnaic and Ryan Camilleri, both not fully fit.

Meanwhile, the Super Cup will hold special significance for Nisevic as he will test his coaching skills against those of Zammit with whom he served as no.2 at both Valletta and Birkirkara.

“I’m trying not to think a lot about it,” Nisevic admitted.

“Paul Zammit is a great friend of mine with whom I collabo-rated closely for various years.

“We went well together and he also taught me a lot... I only have respect for him.

“It will be a great challenge though to lead my team against one of the best coaches in the Maltese league.”

Last 10 Super Cups

2003: Birkirkara-Sliema - 2-0
2004: Birkirkara-Sliema - 3-1
2005: Birkirkara-Sliema - 3-0
2006: Birkirkara-Hibernians - 2-1
2007: Hibs-Marsaxlokk - 3-1
2008: Valletta-Birkirkara - 2-0
2009: Sliema-Hibernians - 1-0
2010: Valletta-Birkirkara - 3-2
2011: Valletta-Floriana - 3-0
2012: Valletta-Hibernians - 3-1