Valletta have it all to do in Belarus after the 1-1 draw in last week’s initial leg at the National Stadium put FC Minsk in the driving seat but the Citizens believe that qualification to the third qualifying round of the Europa League is still within reach.
To attain their objective, Valletta need to score and avoid defeat in today’s return leg at the Torpedo Zhodino Stadium (kick-off 6pm).
The Valletta squad arrived in Minsk yesterday afternoon follow-ing a gruelling trip.
After spending the night in Vilnius, the City contingent were hoping to drive into Minsk without delay but their journey was put back by a few hours due to compli-cations at the border between Lithuania and Belarus.
It was hardly the ideal way for Valletta to prepare for this evening’s clash but coach Mark Miller will be hoping that some extra hours of rest and the enticing prospect of becoming the first Maltese team to pass two rounds of a European competition will spur his players to a full effort.
“We are one game wiser,” Miller told Times of Malta.
“The players know the oppo-sition and therefore know what to expect.
“There is a good chance to make it to the next round and the players should be very motivated.
“I don’t think they (FC Minsk) did much better than us in the first leg, so yes it’s doable.”
Having played 18 games in their domestic league, FC Minsk looked sharper and fitter at the National Stadium but Valletta held their own with Ryan Fenech’s goal late in the first half cancelling out Aleksandr Sachivko’s early breakthrough.
The availability of Brazilian striker Romulo Marques Antoneli has increased the attacking options for Miller who may opt to start with Nigerian James Aud-Gustine Obaje and Ian Zammit up front.
Although Miller derived many positives from his side’s display in the first leg, he admitted that Valletta need to show more punch in attack.
“We need to improve the end-product,” Miller said.
“We need to get more people inside their the box. We can’t sit back because we’ve got to score to keep our hopes alive. If it’s still 0-0 or 1-1, I will definitely try to win the game but much will be depend on how the first half-hour goes.”
With Jonathan Caruana in line for a place in the starting forma-tion after recovering from injury, Miller revealed his intention to reshape his defence.
“We will probably change things at the back,” Miller said.
“If Jonathan Caruana is avail-able we will make a few alterations in defence.
“There will also be some changes in the forward positions. We have to rely on experienced players who have been involved in international games as well as those who have played in most of our pre-season matches.”
The winner of the FC Minsk/Valletta tie today will meet St Johnstone or Rosenborg in the next round.
Scotland’s St Johnstone lead 1-0 after the first leg in Norway.
The referee of this evening’s match will be Alexander Kosta-dinov, from Bulgaria.