Birkirkara take on Russian side Krasnodar FC this evening in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie in the Europa League.
The match is being played at the Hibernians Stadium and is to kick off at 7.30pm.
It is a historic match as this will be the first ever time that a Maltese club will be playing in the third round of a European club competition.
And to the Stripes fell the honour of representing Malta on such an occasion after eliminating Scottish side Hearts of Midlothian in the previous round.
Iceland national player Ragnar Sigurdsson who scored the important first goal against England in the last Euro 2016 trains with his team FC Krasnodar ahead of their UEFA Europa League, third qualifying round, first leg match against Birkirkara FC
That was already a great feat in itself, but qualifying for this round provided the players, coaches, administrators and the numerous fans with lots of satisfaction as they now look forward to these two clashes against this Russian side.
One thing is certain. It will not be easy. It is obvious that if one makes progress in such a League, then one must expect to face stronger sides and Krasnodar will prove to be no exception.
However, Stripes coach Drazen Besek remained optimistic. Speaking to the press yesterday evening, he said: “I am very much aware of our opponents’ strength in depth but as I have always stated – a match is over 90 minutes and anything can happen over those 90 minutes. Everyone is so pleased that we are in the third round but for us it is no surprise because we know how we have worked hard to achieve this feat.
Birkirkara FC coach Drazen Bezek (right) and team captain Gareth Sciberras during their team's press conference ahead of their UEFA Europa League, third qualifying round, first leg match against Krasnodar of Russia.
“We are motivated and there is a very good atmosphere in our camp. In this moment we are only focused on tomorrow’s game against FC Krasnodar whom we will respect as our opponents.”
Gareth Sciberras, captain of Birkirkara FC, also acknowledged the fact that his team had not conceded a goal in his side’s two home matches in the competition to date. “Not conceding a goal in the first leg is very important,” stated Sciberras.
Krasnodar have been rather impressive in the friendly matches they have played so far with striker Fyodor Smolov proving to be their main goal scorer. But it is not only this player who will provide a serious threat to the Stripes in these two matches.
They have other experienced players in the side such as Icelandic central defender Ragnar Sigurdsson, who scored Iceland’s equaliser in their 2-1 win against England in Euro 2016 in Nice, Brazilians Joazinho and Wanderson, as well as captain Andreas Gramqvist, a Swedish international defender (55 caps) and midfielders Eboue of the Netherlands and former Russian Under 21 international Sergei Petrov.
It is well to note - and Birkirkara should know this – that last season, the team made it to the Europa League group stage for the 2nd time in a row.
Their group consisted of top German side Borussia Dortmund, PAOK and Gabala. They won all their home games including a surprising 1–0 win against Borussia Dortmund. They finished 1st with 4 wins (1–0 against Dortmund, 2–1 against PAOK, 2–1 and 3–0 against Gabala), 1 draw (0–0 against PAOK) and 1 loss (1– 2 against Dortmund).
They continued to the round of 32 and were drawn against Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic. They lost 1–0 in their home game and lost a poor away game 3–0.
Despite all this, Birkirkara also know that their historic qualification means a lot. It has showed that with commitment and determination, our teams can also rise to the occasion. Such a victory brought about a lot of enthusiasm among the Birkirkara fans who are expected to fill the Hibs ground to capacity this evening.
Of course, Birkirkara must keep their feet to the ground as they must be aware that they will have to face the Russian onslaught.
Srdjan Dimitrov during his team's training session ahead of their UEFA Europa League, third qualifying round, first leg match against Krasnodar of Russia.
FC Krasnodar head coach Oleg Kononov also made it clear that they will respect Birkirkara FC during today’s match at the Hibernians Stadium.
He said: “We have studied and watched all of Birkirkara’s matches so far in this competition and know how they play. They have advanced well so far in this competition and we will respect our opponents. I do believe it will not be an easy match for us against Birkirkara.”
FC Krasnodar players train ahead of their UEFA Europa League, third qualifying round, first leg match against Birkirkara FC.
FC Krasnodar team captain Andreas Granqvist spoke about his team’s main objectives this season “Our main objective is that of reaching the group stage of the competition, same as last year, then we see from there. We are focused and looking forward to getting a good result against Birkirkara FC.”
Photos Domenic Aquilina
