Hibernians youngster Jurgen Degabriele (right) pulls clear of Valletta’s Ian Zammit during the Euro Cup.Hibernians youngster Jurgen Degabriele (right) pulls clear of Valletta’s Ian Zammit during the Euro Cup.

Hibernians coach Branko Nisevic has appealed to his players to draw inspiration from the heroic displays of the underdogs at the World Cup as the Paolites prepare to face Slovakia team Spartak Trnava in the initial leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie this evening at the National Stadium (kick-off 8pm).

The likes of Costa Rica, who have reached the quarter-finals, Algeria and the United States have earned universal praise for their fearless performances in Brazil.

To a certain extent, that trend was maintained in the mundane surroundings of the National Stadium on Tuesday as Sliema Wanderers produced a lively performance in a 1-1 draw with Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the Europa League.

Nisevic hopes Hibs will do the same tonight.

“I told the players to look at what is happening at this World Cup,” Nisevic told Times of Malta.

“The underdogs are doing very well in the tournament. They are causing a lot of problems to the big guns and we need to look up to these teams.

“The most important thing is that we confront our opponents in a positive frame of mind.”

Hibs have signed Spanish defender Rui da Garcia Gomes to offset the loss of Ryan Camilleri who joined Valletta this summer.

Rui, 29, last played for Real Avila in the Spanish third division.

Rodolfo Soares and Marcelo Dias are expected to make the squad after the Brazilian duo returned from their holidays.

Serbian midfielder Zoran Levnaic has left the club.

Nisevic is targeting a positive result to keep the tie alive.

“We are aware that we have been drawn against tough opponents,” Nisevic said.

“Spartak Trnava are one of the best teams in their country. Our objective is to gain a positive result here, a win or a draw, that would give us the motivation to tackle the away match more optimism.”

Like Hibs, Spartak Trnava have qualified for the Europa League after finishing third in their domestic championship.

“We know that Spartak Trnava’s game is based on strength, running and pressing all over the pitch,” Nisevic said.

“They have one national team player and two from the U-21 squad.

“They have two offensive full-backs as well and an aggressive midfield.”

Last season, Hibs went down 7-3 on aggregate to Serbian club Vojvodina in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.

Spartak Trnava, who are led by Slovakia coach Jura Jarabek, missed out on a place in Europe last season.

The match will be officiated by Welsh referee Mark Steven Whitby.

Meanwhile, Hibernians have also moved to bolster their backroom staff after recruiting Etienne Mercieca as goalkeepers’ coach.

Mercieca joins Hibs after relinquishing his post as goalkeepers’ trainer at the MFA youth academy.

Birkirkara face Diosgyor test

Birkirkara will be looking to strengthen their chances of progressing to the second stage of the Europa League when they face Hungarian team Diosgyor VTK in the first qualifying round, first leg, this evening at the Debrecen Stadium (kick-off 8.30pm).

The Stripes have a difficult task against Diosgyor but coach Paul Zammit will be aware that a draw or even a slim defeat would maintain their chances of setting up a second-round meeting with either Litex Lovech or FC Veris.

Zammit has goalkeeper Justin Haber unavailable through injury but he has fine-tuned his squad following Birkirkara’s failure to retain the title last season.

Valletta midfielder Edmond Agius has signed for the Stripes along with three new foreigners, Spanish goalkeeper Adrian Murcia Sanchez and Brazilian duo Rafael Ledesma, a midfielder, and striker Eliandro. The latter is not available today after undergoing a minor surgery last month.

Diosgyor are not one of the leading teams in Hungary.

Before qualifying for the Europa League last season after finishing fifth in the Hungarian league, Diosgyor last tasted European football in 1998.

Playing in the now defunct Intertoto Cup, Diosgyor encountered a Maltese team in the first round, beating Sliema 5-2 on aggregate before bowing out to Altay Ismir.

The referee of the match is Ignasi Villamayor Rozados, from Andorra.

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.