Holders Hibernians were handed a comfortable-looking start in their bid to win the U*Bet FA Trophy for the third year in a row after being drawn against Senglea Athletic.
The draws of the third and fourth round of the knock-out competition were made at the National Stadium yesterday.
After retaining the Trophy last May following a 3-1 victory over Qormi, the Paolites have the chance to become only the fifth club in the history of the competition to win the cup for three successive seasons.
Sliema Wanderers were the first to achieve this feat between 1935 and 1937. They were followed by Floriana (1953-55), Ħamrun Spartans (1987-89) and Valletta (1995-97).
On paper, Hibernians should find little difficulty to overcome the challenge of Division Two side Senglea Athletic who reached the third round after defeating Kirkop United 4-2 after extra-time last weekend.
Hibs look to have a straightforward route to the quarter-finals as, if they beat Senglea, they will face the winner of the third round tie between Pietà Hotspurs and Mqabba in the following round.
Champions Birkirkara will open their Cup quest against Vittoriosa Stars in the only all-Premier League tie of the third round.
Valletta will take on Division One high-flyers Melita while Sliema will be looking to avenge last year’s shock elimination to Żebbuġ Rangers after being drawn against the Division One outfit.
Floriana will meet Gozitan opposition, Victoria Hotspurs, while Tarxien Rainbows and Rabat Ajax were drawn against Mellieħa and Sirens respectively.
Bjorn Vassallo, the Malta FA CEO, told a news conference yesterday that this is the third year since the format of the FA Trophy was revamped to include teams from the lower divisions as well as those from Gozo.
“The U*Bet FA Trophy has attracted a lot of interest in the last years after we opened the doors to more lower-tier teams to take part in the competition,” Vassallo said.
“It’s true that so far no team outside the Premier League has managed to lift the trophy but in the last few years we have seen a number of upsets that have made the FA Trophy a more attractive competition.
“We are grateful to Maltco Lotteries who have supported this competition for the last eight years.
“Their financial support is crucial for our efforts to continue improving the beautiful game in Malta.”
The second-round matches of the FA Trophy, 20 in all, were played last weekend in different stadia.
“The MFA’s sound investment in stadium infrastructure in recent years is starting to reap dividends,” Vassallo said.
“Last weekend, six Premier League matches and 20 from the FA Trophy were played in different stadia.
“No doubt, this would not have been possible without the investment made by the association in the various regional venues around the island.
“It’s a step in the right direction and the MFA is committed to ensuring it has the best facilities so that the game continues to develop.”
Also present for yesterday’s draws was Ioannis Katakis, Maltco Lotteries CEO, who said: “We have been partners of the MFA for the last eight years and we are proud to be contributing towards the development of Maltese football.
“We are looking forward to another exciting edition of the U*Bet FA Trophy which I’m sure will produce a lot of thrilling matches.”
Division One
Today (Tedesco Stadium): 6pm Żebbuġ Rangers vs St George’s; 8.15pm Gudja United vs Gżira United.
The draws
Third Round
1. Birkirkara vs Vittoriosa Stars
2. Mellieħa vs Tarxien Rainbows
3. Sliema Wanderers vs Żebbuġ R.
4. Melita vs Valletta
5. Hibernians vs Senglea Athletic
6. Lija Athletic vs Mosta
7. Birżebbuġa St Peter’s vs Balzan
8. St Andrew’s vs San Ġwann
9. Floriana vs Victoria Hotspurs
10. Pembroke vs Gżira United
11. Siġġiewi vs St George’s
12. Naxxar Lions vs Gudja United
13. Pietà Hotspurs vs Mqabba
14. Qormi vs SK Victoria Wanderers
15. Mdina Knights vs Kerċem Ajax
16. Sirens vs Rabat Ajax
Matches to be played on Nov. 22-27
Fourth Round Pairings
Winner match 8 vs winner match 1
Winner match 15 vs winner match 16
Winner match 5 vs winner match 13
Winner match 10 vs winner match 11
Winner match 9 vs winner match 12
Winner match 14 vs winner match 2
Winner match 3 vs winner match 7
Winner match 4 vs winner match 6
Matches to be played on Jan. 18-22