The one-all draw in last week’s first leg makes Polish outfit Ruch Chorzow favourites to move into the third qualifying round of the Europa League but Valletta are cautiously upbeat about their chances of causing an upset in tonight’s second leg (kick-off 8 p.m.).
After watching his team produce the better football at the Centenary Stadium, coach Jesmond Zerafa believes that Valletta are capable of raising their game in Poland.
“The 1-1 result in the first leg favours Ruch Chorzow but the tie is finely-poised,” Zerafa told The Times.
“If we perform to the best of our abilities, I believe we can make life difficult for our opponents in the second leg.
“We have to bear in mind that they will have home advantage. I always stress the importance of approaching a big test like this in the right frame of mind. Ruch Chorzow opted for a cautious strategy when they played us in Malta but I think they will be more attack-minded on home soil.”
Valletta needed a late goal from Terrence Scerri, a second-half substitute, to salvage a draw in the home match after Ruch Chorzow had gone ahead thanks to a penalty converted by Nojcieh Grzyb in the first half.
Zerafa was not surprised by the qualities shown by Ruch Chorzow in the opening leg.
“Their performance in the first leg was in keeping with my expectations,” Zerafa said. “Ruch Chorzow don’t have world-class players but they are a solid team. Their players are quick and strong.”
The City contingent flew out to Hungary on Tuesday morning and continued their journey to Poland by coach. They arrived in Chorzow late on Tuesday night.
Defender Kenneth Scicluna is ruled out by a groin problem but otherwise Zerafa has no selection problems.
Scerri’s lively cameo in the first leg could prompt Zerafa to hand the towering striker a starting berth today.
Midfielder Jamie Pace, another second-half substitute in the first leg, is also in contention for a first-team recall.
Valletta had two training sessions in Chorzow yesterday. The evening session was held at the Ruch Chorzow Stadium, the venue of today’s match.
With the Ruch Chorzow fans considered among the most fervent in the whole of Poland, an intimidating atmosphere is anticipated this evening but Zerafa is backing his players to cope with the pressure.
“I’ve been told that the stadium is going to be full for this game,” Zerafa said.
“Their supporters, especially the die-hards, are very vocal but this shouldn’t affect us, especially those players who have experienced this kind of atmosphere with the national team.
“But, to handle this situation, we need to play with great determination. This game will be very difficult but I believe that we have the experience and technical ability to hurt our opponents.”
Italian referee Andrea De Marco will take charge of this evening’s match.
The winner of the Ruch Chorzow/Valletta match will meet the winner of the game between Austria Vienna and Bosnia’s Siroki Brijeg in the third qualifying round.
Europa League
Second qualifying round, 2nd legs:
Playing today
Mika vs Rabotnicki (0-1); Teteks vs Ventspils (0-0); Zhodino vs OFK Belgrade (2-2); Dukla vs Zestafoni (0-3); Mogren vs M. Tel Aviv (0-2); S. Zlatibor vs Differdange (3-3); Qarabaq vs Portadown (2-1); TPS vs C. Brugge (1-0); Dnepr vs Stabaek (2-2); S. Brijeg vs A. Vienna (2-2); Jelgava vs Molde (0-1);
B. Ostrava vs WIT Georgia (6-0); Sillamae vs D. Minsk (1-5); Karpaty vs KR (3-0); Dacia vs Kalmar (0-0); Sant Julia vs MyPa (0-3); D. Tbilisi vs Gefle (2-1); Randers vs Gorica (3-0); Iskra vs Elfsborg (1-2); Apoel vs Tauras (3-0); Tirana vs Utrecht (0-4); B. Yehuda vs Shamrock Rovers (1-1); D. Bucharest vs Balti (2-0); Sibenik vs Anorthosis (2-0); W. Krakow vs Siauliai (2-0); Vaduz vs Brondby (0-3);
Dundalk vs Levski Sofia (0-6); Vikungur vs Besiktas (0-3); R. Chorzow vs Valletta (1-1); R. Vienna vs Suduva (2-0); Maribor vs Videoton (1-1); Bangor vs Honka (1-1); Gyor vs Atyrau (2-0); Tre Penne vs Zrinjski (1-4); Olympiakos vs Besa (5-0); Borac vs Lausanne (0-1); S. Fingal vs Maritimo (2-3); Cibalia vs Cliftonville (0-1); Buducnost vs Baki (1-2); Breidablik vs Motherwell (0-1).