Birkirkara may be ranked as outsiders to book a slot in the third qualifying round of the Cham-pions League but recognition of the difficult task to overcome Slovenian heavyweights NK Maribor has not dampened their resolve to put up a strong challenge, starting with this evening’s home leg at the National Stadium (kick-off 19.30).
Coach Paul Zammit, who has just obtained his UEFA Pro Licence after successfully com-pleting a demanding course at the Italian football federation’s base in Coverciano, has been working day and night to ensure that Birkirkara are well-equipped to hold their own today.
Besides keeping hold of the nucleus of players that propelled the team to their fourth cham-pionship last season, Birkirkara acted swiftly to secure a host of reinforcements, namely Nigerian forward Frank Temile, Senegalese striker Demba Toure and defen-ders Jonathan Maciel and Ricardo Jimenez, from Brazil and Spain respectively.
The efforts of Zammit and his backroom staff to compile a dossier on NK Maribor provides an added source of optimism for Birkirkara.
“Since the draw was made, we have been doing our research on Maribor,” Zammit told Times of Malta.
“I’m satisfied with what we have as we have gathered a lot of information about this team. They will be no strangers to us because we have studied them well.
“Maribor have been growing year after year. They are a force in Slovenian football but in the last few years, they have also been striving to leave their mark in Europe. Last season, Maribor played in the group stages of the Europa League.
“We know that we’re facing a formidable team but that changes nothing in the way we’re approaching the game.
“We are preparing ourselves in the best way possible to face these two games with our heads held high.
“It’s a challenge for us to play against a team of this calibre.
“Like the other Maltese clubs, our preparations have been somewhat limited whereas Maribor began their league campaign last week.
“We know they reported back for training a while ago and have played a series of friendlies against valid teams like Lokomotiv Moscow and Kaiserslautern.
“Maribor have also won the Slovenian Super Cup after a 2-0 victory over Olimpija Ljubljana.”
Maribor appointed Ante Cacic as their new coach in the close season after Darko Milanic left to take charge at Austria’s Sturm Graz. Zammit hasn’t noticed any drastic changes in the team’s style of play.
“Maribor have a new coach but their approach has not changed,” Zammit said.
“Everything is geared towards exploiting the characteristics of their players. They are very fast, especially when switching from defence to attack, and we have to keep that in mind.
“That said, we also know that we can hit them with our strengths.
“Fitness-wise, we’re not at the same level as our opponents and that means that tactically we have to be perfect.”
Zammit paid tribute to the club’s committee for their unconditional backing in the transfer market.
“It’s thanks to the support of the administration that we have managed to bring in four new foreigners so early in the close season,” Zammit said.
“I made it clear at the end of last season that my wish was to go into our European commitments with the same squad we will have for the domestic competitions.
“This is why we’ve tied up deals for the new players before our Champions League campaign while keeping last season’s squad virtually intact.
“The new additions will increase competition for places and improve the quality of the squad.”
Birkirkara’s line-up is not expected to differ much from their typical formation last season with Malta midfielders Gareth Sciber-ras, Paul Fenech and Rowen Muscat, goalkeeper Justin Haber and winger Edward Herrera forming the backbone of the team alongside defenders Nikola Vukanac and Alejandro Mendoza.
Temile and Toure are primed to make their official debut for Birkirkara this evening.
Malta U-21 midfielder Ryan Scicluna is set to miss out as he is recovering from injury.
Zack Muscat yesterday committed his future to Birkirkara after signing a three-year deal.
Zammit singled out Brazilian forward Marcos Tavares, the team captain, as Maribor’s most dangerous man with the other stand-out players being midfielders Agim Ibrahimi and Zeljko Filipovic.
Aware that Birkirkara’s hopes of causing an upset hinge on the result of the home leg, Zammit insisted that he’s not looking beyond today’s encounter.
“We’re just concentrating on the first leg. We have no specific targets,” the Birkirkara coach said.
“The first game is very important and after that, I will have a clearer picture.
“Our objective is to do well here and then, we can set ourselves some targets, depending on the outcome.
“But this will be a great ex-perience for us and we will try to get the best out of it.
“I’m confident that the players will rise to the occasion. The motivation should be very high as this is a Champions League match.
“We will give it our best shot.”
Birkirkara ought to glean encouragement from their performances in their last Champions League campaign in 2010/11.
After seeing off Andorra’s Santa Coloma in the first round, Birkirkara beat Slovakia’s MK Zilina 1-0 at home but lost the return leg 3-0 after conceding two goals in the latter stages of the match.
The referee today is Radu Marian Petrescu, from Romania.
Champions League
Second qualifying round
Playing today
Viktoria Plzen (CZE) vs FK Zeljeznicar (BIH)
BATE Borisov (BLR) vs Shakhter Karagandy (KAZ)
Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) vs EB/Streymur (FRO)
FC Sheriff (MDA) vs FK Sutjeska (MNE)
Ekranas (LTU) vs Hafnarfjordur (ISL)
CS Fola Esch (LUX) vs Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Birkirkara (MLT) vs NK Maribor (SVN)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM) vs FK Vardar (MKD)
Tomorrow
Shirak (ARM) vs FK Partizan (SRB)
HJK Helsinki (FIN) vs Nomme Kalju (EST)
Neftci PFK (AZE) vs KS Skenderbeu (ALB)
Sligo Rovers (IRL) vs Molde FK (NOR)
Elfsborg (SWE) vs FC Daugava (LVA)
The New Saints (WAL) vs Legia Warsaw (POL)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) vs Ludogorets (BUL)
Gyori ETO (HUN) vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)
Cliftonville (NIR) vs Celtic (SCO)
Second legs: July 23/24.