Valletta will be aiming to establish a strong lead this evening when they host Andorra champions FC Lusitans in the first leg of the Champions League first qualifying round at the Hibs Stadium (kick-off 7.30 p.m.).
We will try to attack and win the game- Mark Miller
On paper, the Citizens are favourites to see off the challenge of Champions League novices FC Lusitans but Mark Miller and co. will be acutely aware that failure to make home advantage count in this initial leg could jeopardise their chances of progressing to a second qualifying round clash with Serb champs Partizan Belgrade.
The Euro Cup was a key part of Valletta’s build-up to their Champions League commitments with Miller sending out the same formation in the matches against Hibs and Birkirkara in a bid to attain some consistency before the two ties against Lusitans.
Miller has declared himself pleased with his team’s preparations but admitted that he had hoped for a sterner test from Birkirkara whose second-string team succumbed to a 5-0 defeat to Valletta in their final Euro Cup game last Thursday.
“We’ve prepared quite well,” Miller told The Times.
“The only thing which knocked us off a little was the Birkirkara game. I was hoping they would field a stronger side but they fielded several minors and we didn’t really get tested.
“Our players were tired after the three games but the aim was to get in as much football as possible.
“The main focus was to try and settle the formation as we have new foreigners and players who are coming back from loans.”
A 1-0 defeat to Hibs wrecked Valletta’s hopes of retaining the Euro Cup but Miller was unperturbed by his team’s defeat.
“We lost against Hibs but we created a lot of clear-cut chances,” Miller said.
“On another day, it could have been four or five for us.
“That’s part of the pre-season and you can’t judge a team’s potential on these results. It’s all about giving players chances.
“It’s not easy coming into a new football club and I’ve been trying to introduce my ideas while being careful not to make too many changes.”
Miller is not entirely satisfied with Valletta’s showings in the pre-season quadrangular tournament.
“We’ve assessed the performances and we’re looking to improve certain things,” Miller, who left Hibs to take over from Jesmond Zerafa at Valletta, said.
“There are certain aspects in our performances that I’m not happy with.
“Also, it’s difficult to decide on the qualities of new players after three games and 10 to 15 days of training.”
The new signings
This last statement appears to suggest that Miller expects more from Valletta’s new foreigners, namely defender Jusselio da Silva, midfielder Ricardo da Rocha Filho and forward Jhonnattann.
All three Brazilians looked short of match sharpness in the Euro Cup but Valletta are hoping that the new signings would up their game in time for the matches against FC Lusitans.
After their 5-1 rout of San Marino’s Tre Fiori last year, City are widely fancied to clear the first hurdle in the 2012/13 Champions League but Miller is not taking anything for granted.
“I’ve looked at Valletta’s games against the San Marino team and Ekranas,” Miller said.
“We’re not a lesser side than the Andorrans but we must show this on the pitch. We need a collective performance to achieve our aim.
“There’s pressure but we need to use that in a positive way.”
On the field, Miller is hoping that Valletta will go all-out right from the outset.
“We will try to attack and win the game,” the Valletta coach said.
“We’ve got to score early. If we don’t, then we’ve got to be patient and bring in some fresh legs to change things around.”
Midfielder Ryan Fenech is expected to be in the squad after recovering from injury but striker Terrence Scerri is ruled out with hamstring trouble.
Miller has revealed that Kurt Magro, who was on loan with Mosta last season, is likely to stay with Valletta but Dylan Grima could go out on loan again after turning out for Balzan last term.
Founded in 1999 by Portuguese immigrants, FC Lusitans qualified for the Champions League after winning their first ever Andorran title.
They finished two points ahead of FC Santa Coloma who denied Lusitans a domestic double after beating them 1-0 in the cup final.
Miller expects Lusitans to pose a threat in set-pieces.
“From what I’ve seen, they have some tall players and can be dangerous in set-plays but we can handle that,” the coach said.
The referee of today’s game is Johnny Casanova, of San Marino.
Playing today
Dudelange vs Tre Penne
Linfield vs B36
Valletta vs Lusitans