The 2-1 defeat in the home encounter may have jeopardised Valletta’s chances of advancing to the third qualifying round of the Champions League but it has not diminished their resolve to produce another gutsy performance when they meet Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) in today’s second leg in Belgrade (kick-off 8.30pm).

Shorn of prolific striker Federico Falcone, whose outstanding goal in last week’s game at the Hibs Stadium was the highlight of Valletta’s vibrant first-half performance, the Maltese champions know that they are in for a gruelling evening at the Red Star Stadium, also known as Marakana, but coach Paul Zammit is confident that his team will not back down.

“We are approaching this game with the same mentality as the first leg,” Zammit told Times of Malta from his team’s base in Belgrade.

“We are aware of the strength of the opposition… Red Star are in a phase where they are looking to re-establish themselves in European football.

“For us, it’s important that we keep doing everything possible to put on a strong performance and earn the respect of our opponents.

“I believe that we managed to do that in the first leg but that was chapter one.

“This is chapter two.”

In ‘chapter one’ of this Champions League tie, Valletta stunned Red Star with their attack-minded and tenacious approach but the Serbian champions found their feet in the second half to turn the match around with quick goals from Aleksandar Katai and substitute Predrag Sikimic.

Red Star are widely expected to put pressure on Valletta from the off tonight as they pursue an impressive display in front of their fans but Zammit is relishing the test.

“Playing away from home against a team like Red Star is always a massive challenge but we believe in our strengths,” the Valletta coach said.

“We have to be very careful because, at this level, you get punished for every mistake.

“We have just watched the game we played last week and, although we dropped deeper in the second half, the two goals we conceded could have been avoided.

“We paid dearly for our mistakes but, even in the second half, whenever we pushed forward, we caused Red Star problems.

“This game is another story but we are motivated and prepared.”

Although Zammit is aware that his team have it all to do to turn the tables on Red Star, he is not giving up hope.

“As long as there is a chance, I will keep believing,” Zammit stressed.

“We are preparing the team the way we are because we still believe. I’m not saying this out of arrogance but with respect.

“We know we have a big task but we remain upbeat. As coach, I’m always positive and I try to instil this belief in my squad.”

Falcone’s injury has deprived Valletta of their key man in attack, what with the Argentine striker having scored three goals in as many UEFA Champions League games this season.

The 26-year-old is expected to be sidelined for four weeks after suffering a tear in his quad in the latter stages of the first half of the first-leg clash with Red Star last week.

“Our squad has been built over one year and when any of the core players are out, they are missed,” Zammit, who guided Valletta to the BOV Premier League title last season, said of Falcone’s absence.

“That said, I believe that we have a strong squad and those who replace the injured players will do a good job.

“Federico’s absence could also lead to changes in our tactical strategy.

“In the home match, he was the central point of our forward line as he is the kind of a player who can shield and keep the ball, giving other players time to attack the spaces

“After Federico went off late in the first half, we tried to stick to the same system with the introduction of Santiago Malano but he is a different type of player.”

Apart from Falcone, Zammit is also concerned about the fitness of Brazilian wing-back Romeu Romao and Argentine Leandro Aguirre who picked up knocks in last Tuesday’s game.

The two wide players didn’t train with the team on Sunday but were expected to take part in the final practice session yesterday evening, after which Zammit was to make a decision on their availability for tonight’s match.

With goalkeeper Henry Bonello nursing a slight injury and Nicky Vella sidelined after undergoing cruciate surgery, Manuel Bartolo will guard Valletta’s goal today.

Valletta had sought UEFA’s permission to field Dziugas Bartkus as an emergency replacement goalkeeper but their request was turned down by the medical board of the European body.

Bartkus, from Lithuania, completed his move to Valletta yesterday week but the club were unable to add him to their Champions League players’ list as his international transfer certificate reached the MFA after the Monday deadline.

Defender Ryan Camilleri is still out as he will serve the last of a four-match ban following his sending-off in the Europa League home game against Newtown AFC last season.

The rest of the players in Valletta’s 18-man squad are fit and trained normally after touching down in the Serbian capital on Saturday night.

Belgrade trip

Travelling to Belgrade was not as straightforward as Valletta had anticipated after the failed military coup attempt in Turkey forced them to change their flights, given that the contingent was supposed to fly to Istanbul airport en route to Belgrade.

Valletta eventually split their squad into three groups and reached their destination via different routes but Zammit allayed concerns that his players might take longer to recover from their trip.

“All the members of our contingent arrived here on Saturday night,” Zammit said.

“On Sunday morning, we woke up in Belgrade and we had a full day to recover our energies.

“Thankfully, we had made the decision to go to Serbia a bit earlier than usual.”

Today’s game will be controlled by Norwegian referee Tore Hansen.