Emboldened by their 3-1 away win over Armenia’s Ulisses FC last week, Birkirkara will be aiming to further enhance their burgeoning European reputation when they take on English Premier League side West Ham tonight.

While the qualification issue is, in the eyes of many at least, a foregone conclusion, given the gulf in resources between the two clubs, this should not deter the Stripes from pursuing another gutsy performance at the Boleyn Stadium (kick-off 20.45).

Birkirkara flew into London on Tuesday night in buoyant mood after securing a lucrative tie with the Hammers but coach Giovanni Tedesco is not prepared to sit on his laurels.

“This is not a game like the others,” the Italian told the pre-match news conference yesterday.

“We are facing a great club with a fantastic history.

“What I would like to point out is that we are here because we have earned this qualification.

“We have played two great games against a good team (Ulisses FC), winning also in Armenia.

“As I’ve already told the players, this is not a holiday for us.

“We obviously have a lot of respect for West Ham and their coach, Bilic, but we have come here to do well and try to take our chances.”

At his press briefing earlier yesterday, Slaven Bilic left no room for doubt as to his intention to pick a strong team for today’s match after fielding an understrength side in the previous games against Lusitans, of Andorra.

While Birkirkara’s emphatic victory in Armenia is likely to have played a part in Bilic’s decision to send out a strong team today, Tedesco believes that Maltese football in general is gaining more respect overseas, especially on the back of Hibernians’ 2-1 home victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League on Tuesday.

“I never had any doubts about the seriousness of West Ham United,” Tedesco said.

“Maltese football is growing. The national team have obtained some good results, there was our win in Armenia and Hibernians did very well the other day.

“I think there’s more respect for what seems to be a very positive movement in Maltese football.”

Tedesco is under no illusion about the size of the task awaiting his team in East London tonight but he has no intention to adopt an ultra-defensive approach.

“We will try to play our cards well,” Tedesco said.

“We are aware of the strength of our opponents but we want to play with dignity... we will not be passive.

“Tactical modules, whether it’s 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, are not really that important in these type of games.

We need to play with courage and put our hearts into the game- Giovanni Tedesco

“We need to play with courage and put our hearts into the game.

“There will be moments during the match when we will have to suffer but there will also be opportunities for us to put them in difficulty.

“We have to be smart enough to make the most of our chances.

“I’m saying this because I believe a lot in my squad.

“I have a group of very good players and I’m confident that we will have a positive game here.”

Tedesco has watched a number of games played by West Ham in the close season but he’s not reading much into their Europa League encounters with Lusitans.

“I have watched several West Ham games,” the former Floriana coach said.

“I saw their two Europa League games and a friendly they played recently.

“The games against Lusitans are not really indicative because West Ham fielded a different team.

“I’m quite sure that there will be many changes for this game as there were only a few senior players in the team (for the Lusitans games).

“But these matches have enabled me to learn more about the mentality of their coach. West Ham are very aggressive, they are good at keeping possession and attack the opposing penalty area in numbers.”

Visa issues solved

Like their Maltese rivals Valletta, Birkirkara had to deal with some UK visa issues in the lead-up to today’s encounter as Serbian defender Nikola Vukanac and newly-signed Bosnian striker Edin Murga were forced to take a detour to France in order to obtain a visa to enter the UK.

Much to Tedesco’s relief, Vukanac and Murga were able to train with the rest of the squad at Upton Park last night after arriving in the English capital earlier in the day.

The FA Trophy winners also had concerns over their goalkeepers as Justin Haber sat out last week’s game after suffering a thigh injury and his deputy, Ini Aktpan, picked up a knock in the win over Ulisses.

Tedesco allayed any fears about the fitness of his goalkeepers after declaring that both Haber and Aktpan are available to play.

Terence Vella is suspended after his sending-off in Armenia while Edward Herrera is unavailable.

Tedesco’s team selection is not expected to differ much from last week’s game against FC Ulisses with captain Paul Fenech again likely to be deployed in the holding role with Rowen Muscat pushing up from midfield in support of the strikers.

Fenech said the mood within the squad is very positive.

“The atmosphere is good,” the Malta international said.

“We know that we are facing a strong team but, at this moment in time, we need to concentrate on ourselves.

“Maltese football is getting better. Hibernians had the better of Maccabi Tel Aviv and we won in Armenia. These positive results show that the level of our game is improving while the quality of the foreign players is also paying off.”

Probable formations

Birkirkara: J. Haber, M. Mazzetti, N. Vukanac, P. Fenech, R. Camenzuli, J. Zerafa, Z. Muscat, R. Muscat, E. Agius, F, Miccoli, Liliu.

West Ham: Adrian, J. O’Brien, J. Tomkins, W. Reid, A. Cresswell, D. Poyet, M. Noble, M. Amalfitano, K. Nolan, M. Jarvis, M. Zarate.

Referee: Markus Hameter (Austria).