Uplifted by their progress to the second qualifying round of the Champions League, Birkirkara will be bidding to stay in contention for a place in the third stage when they host Slovakia's MSK Zilina in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie this evening at the Centenary Stadium (kick-off 6 p.m.).
The Stripes enjoyed a smooth passage to the second round after completing a 7-3 victory over FC Santa Coloma but MSK Zilina are a tougher proposition than the Andorra champions.
Under the guidance of former Czech international Pavel Hapal, Zilina secured a place in this season's Champions League after winning their fifth title in eight years.
Two seasons ago, Zilina advanced to the group phase of the UEFA Cup (Europa League) where they recorded a famous 2-1 away victory over English Premier League side Aston Villa.
Birkirkara coach Paul Zammit knows that a mammoth task awaits his team.
"For much of the past decade, Zilina have been the team to beat in Slovakia," Zammit said.
"They have a very good track record in Europe and if you look at their squad, you will see that they have a host of international players.
"The most important thing is that we have reached the second qualifying round of the Champions League. I believe this is a good achievement for the club and for Maltese football in general.
"I also hope Valletta go through to the next round of the Europa League as that would provide another boost for the local game."
Zammit must make do without his two first-choice wingers as Trevor Cilia is sidelined with a fractured wrist and Sylvano Comvalius has yet to return from The Netherlands after his wife gave birth to a baby boy.
There are also doubts over Rowen Muscat as the young midfielder must sit for a three-hour exam this evening while Branko Nisevic and Shaun Bajada are struggling to shake off knocks.
Italian winger Jacopo Camilli, an unused substitute in last week's home match against FC Santa Coloma, has been released by the Stripes who are expected to offer a trial to two foreign defenders in the next weeks.
Although wary of Zilina's pedigree, Zammit is hopeful that the impending challenge will spur his players to greater efforts.
"I've told the players that this is a totally different story compared to the first qualifying round," he remarked.
"But, we should be relishing the chance to play against a team of this calibre. It's an opportunity to gauge our potential against that of a professional team like Zilina.
"In international football, every mistake is normally punished by the opposition, so we must be fully concentrated. We have to strive to deny Zilina space, especially in those areas where they are at their most dangerous, but we must also try to exploit our strong points.
"The priority in the first leg is to keep the tie alive. Just because we're playing against a more-quoted team, we shouldn't surrender before the game starts."
Zammit is heartened by many aspects of Birkirkara's showing in the 4-3 victory over Santa Coloma last week but bemoaned the manner of the goals conceded.
"We have analysed that game," Zammit said.
"There were many positives to take, especially the way we moved the ball forward. We practically made sure of qualification in the first half. I wasn't happy with our defending though as we let in three soft goals."
Welsh referee Simon Lee Evans will take charge of this evening's match.
Second qualifying round
Playing today
AC Omonia (Cyprus) vs Renova (Macedonia); AIK Solna (Sweden) vs Jeunesse Esch (Luxembourg); Birkirkara (Malta) vs MSK Zilina (Slovakia); Bohemian (Ireland) vs TNS (Wales); D. Zagreb (Croatia) vs FC Koper (Slovenia); Inter Baki (Azerbaijan) vs Lech Poznan (Poland); Hapoel Tel-Aviv (Israel) vs Zeljeznicar (Bosnia); L. Tallinn (Estonia) vs Debreceni (Hungary); L. Metalurgs (Latvia) vs S. Praha (Czech Rep.); L. Lovech (Bulgaia) vs Rudar (Montenegro); Salzburg (Austria) vs HB Torshavn (F. Islands).
Tomorrow
BATE Borisov (Belarus) vs Hafnarfjordur (Iceland); Ekranas (Lithuania) vs HJK Helsinki (Finland); FK Aktobe (Kazakhstan) vs O. Rustavi (Georgia); Linfield (N. Ireland) vs Rosenborg BK (Norway); Partizan (Serbia) vs Pyunik (Armenia); Sheriff (Moldova) vs D. Tirana (Albania).
Second legs: July 20-21.