Valletta will need to muster all their famed spirit and resilience if they are to make a contest of their two-legged encounter with Qarabag FK in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
The Azeri champions may not be one of the most glamorous teams in European football but they have come a long way in recent years, a fact borne out by their progress to the play-offs of the Europa League last season.
Gilbert Agius, the Valletta coach, is under no illusion about the scale of the task awaiting his team but he believes that the Whites’ hopes of causing an upset will improve if they manage to keep a clean sheet in this evening’s first leg at the National Stadium (kick-off 6.30pm).
“Our target is to try and keep a clean sheet,” Agius told Times of Malta.
“With the quality of the players we have, I believe that, if we are concentrated throughout the 90 minutes, we can also cause some problems to our opponents.”
Although, by his own admission, Valletta’s build-up for their Champions League commitments has been hit by a few “hiccups” after the club were forced to replace a host of key personnel, especially the foreigners, who played a prominent role in the club’s league and FA Trophy success last season, Agius praised his players for their commitment.
“The players have been very co-operative,” Agius, who has replaced Dutch coach Andre Paus, said.
“We have been preparing for these games in the best way possible considering the circumstances.
“We want to do well and the response from the players has been very good.
“There is a gap in quality between the two squads but we are not going to give up.
“I believe that the players are well-prepared and determined to give their best.”
Led by Gurban Gurbanov since 2008, Qarabag became the first team outside Baku to win the Azerbaijan Premier League in May, the second title in the club’s history. Brazilian striker Reynaldo was the team’s top scorer with 22 goals.
Agius described Qarabag as a team who play flowing football.
“The fact that Qarabag have passed three rounds of the Europa League in the last two seasons demonstrates that this team is quite strong,” the former Malta captain said.
“Qarabag try to play good football. They have three Brazilian midfielders who like to interchange, their flank defenders push forward a lot and up front, they have three fast strikers.
“As Qarabag are renowned for favouring a possession game, we can expect to spend a lot of time defending and try to break on the counter.”
The Citizens are back in the Champions League after recapturing the domestic title following a thrilling 2-0 victory over rivals Birkirkara on the final day of last season.
They went on to complete a league and cup double after beating Sliema Wanderers 1-0 in the U*Bet FA Trophy final.
Agius was understandably disinclined to draw any comparisons between the current Valletta squad and that of last season but he hopes that the players will show the same character that defined their come-from-behind title success.
Strong character
“I can’t compare this team with the one that won the double last season,” Agius said.
“Most of the foreigners who started the deciding match against Birkirkara are no longer part of the squad.
“As for the Maltese players, I believe that last season’s success has strengthened their self-belief. It has given them fresh courage and motivation as they accomplished a difficult mission.
“The team showed great character in the title race and I hope they do the same in these games.”
Agius’s preparations for this evening’s clash have not been helped by the unexpected departures of sturdy defender Steve Borg, who is joining South African club Platinum Stars, and Denni who has informed the club that he needs to return to Brazil for family reasons.
Goalkeeper Nukri Revishvili and Irakli Maisuradze, both Georgia internationals, have signed for new clubs, Brazilian Alan Da Silva Souza has not rejoined Valletta and Gambian midfielder Hamza Barry is expected to move to Tunisian side Esperance.
Valletta have signed six players, namely Malta defender Ryan Camilleri, goalkeeper Nicky Vella, Portuguese midfielder Hugo Faria, Cameroonian striker Raphael Kooh Sohna, Australian winger Adrian Zahra and Emirati defender Hamed Al Kamali.
Zahra is out of today’s game after suffering an injury during a friendly game. Young midfielder Llywelyn Cremona, who featured regularly for Valletta in the pre-season Euro Cup, is also out of the equation along with reserve goalkeeper Manuel Bartolo.
Last season, Valletta beat San Marino minnows La Fiorita 4-0 on aggregate but went down to Belarus’s FC Minsk, 3-0 on aggregate, in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
Qarabag made it to the play-offs of last season’s Europa League after eliminating Metalurg (Macedonia), Piast Gliwice (Poland) and Gefle IF (Sweden). Their run was halted by German side Eintracht Frankfurt who won 4-1 on aggregate.
The referee of the match is Adrien Jaccottet, from Switzerland.
Second qualifying round (first leg)
Playing today
BATE Borisov vs Skenderbeu
Cliftonville vs Debrecen
Din. Zagreb vs Zalgiris Vilnius
S. Coloma vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
FC Sheriff vs Sutjeska
KR Reykjavik vs Celtic
P. Belgrade vs HB Torshavn
Rabotnicki vs Helsinki
Slovan Bratislava vs TNS
Sparta Prague vs L. Tallinn
Valletta vs FK Qarabag
Zrinjski Mostar vs Maribor
Tomorrow
Dinamo Tbilisi vs Aktobe
Legia Warsaw vs St Patrick’s
Malmo FF vs Ventspils
Ludogorets R. vs Dudelange
Stroemsgodset vs S. Bucharest
Second legs: July 22/23.