[attach id=262358 size="medium"]Birkirkara will fly Malta’s flag in the Champions League after winning the championship last season. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi[/attach]
Birkirkara will have to overcome a formidable hurdle in the shape of experienced Slovenian side NK Maribor if they are to become the first Maltese club to reach the third qualifying round of the Champions League.
The draw of the first qualifying rounds of the 2013/14 Champions League, held yesterday at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, pitted Birkirkara against the Slovenian champions with the first leg to be played at the National Stadium on July 17. The second leg will take place in Maribor a week later.
NK Maribor wrapped up their 11th domestic title last season, finishing eight points clear of nearest rivals NK Olimpija Ljubljana. They also beat NK Celje 1-0 in the final of the cup to complete the double.
Birkirkara clinched their fourth league championship after beating Hibernians 3-1 in a title decider.
“They (Maribor) are a very strong team and a well-organised club,” Joe Zammit, the Birkirkara president, told The Times of Malta from Switzerland.
“It’s a massive challenge for our team but we hope to get a positive result in both games.”
Gareth Sciberras, the Birkirkara captain, echoed Zammit’s feelings.
“Every game is difficult at this level,” the Malta midfielder said.
“I’m sure that we will prepare as well as we can for these games and we will be doing our utmost to try and qualify for the next round but it will be a big challenge.
“We knew beforehand that there were no easy opponents in the pool of teams on the other side of the draw. NK Maribor are arguably the toughest as they have great experience in European football and that makes our task even harder. They’ve also enjoyed significant success in UEFA competitions in the last few seasons.”
Despite the scale of the task awaiting Birkirkara, Sciberras is cautiously optimistic that his team can hold their own.
“We’re very motivated,” Sciberras said.
“We have several players in our squad who have experience of international football through their involvement with the national and U-21 squads.
“Given that we’re playing the first leg at home, it’s crucial that we get a result that would keep our qualifying hopes alive. It’s also important that our fans come to support us because that would be very helpful.
“Last season, we tried to play an attacking game in the home leg against Metalurg Skopje and drew 2-2 while the second leg ended goalless.”
Six years ago, Birkirkara were knocked out by Maribor in the now defunct Intertoto Cup after a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
Maribor’s first visit to Malta was in 1992 when they met Ħamrun Spartans in the qualifying round of the Cup Winners’ Cup. The Slovenians marked their first venture in European football with a 5-2 aggregate win over the Spartans.
In the last two seasons, NK Maribor have featured in the group stage of the Europa League.
Champions League draw
First qualifying round (July 2/3 – 9/10)
1. Shirak (ARM) vs Tre Penne (SMR)
2. Lusitans (AND) vs EB/Streymur (FRO)
Second qualifying round (July 6/17 – 23/24)
Neftci PFK (AZE) vs KS Skenderbeu (ALB)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM) vs FK Vardar (MKD)
FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) vs FK Zeljeznicar (BIH)
FC Sheriff (MDA) vs FK Sutjeska (MNE)
Birkirkara (MLT) vs NK Maribor (SVN)
Sligo Rovers FC (IRL) vs Molde FK (NOR)
IF Elfsborg (SWE) vs FC Daugava (LVA)
HJK Helsinki (FIN) vs JK Nomme Kalju (EST)
FK Ekranas (LTU) vs Hafnarfjordur (ISL)
The New Saints (WAL) vs Legia Warsaw (POL)
Celtic (SCO) vs Cliftonville (NIR)
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) vs CS Fola Esch (LUX)
Gyori ETO (HUN) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)
BATE Borisov (BLR) vs Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)
Winner match 1 vs FK Partizan (SRB)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs Ludogorets (BUL)
Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) vs Winner match 2