Champions Sliema Wanderers and FA Trophy holders Birkirkara will be renewing their rivalry today, at the start of a new football season which kicks off in earnest this evening with the first match in connection with the Euro Cup.

This is the annual tournament preceding the local clubs’ participation in the European club competitions. This year, Sliema, Birkirkara and Hibs are taking part in the tournament.

All the three matches (today, on Wednesday and Thursday) are being played at the National Stadium, Ta’ Qali, and all kick off at 8pm.

Sliema and Birkirkara will be facing each other in the first match this evening following last week’s draw. The losers of today’s match will face Hibernians on Wednesday and the winners play Hibernians on Friday.

The two clubs are expected to parade some new faces.

The champions, for example, will probably include Italian Mauro di Lello on the left flank of their defence while striker Daniel Bogdanovic, who has return from his spell with Ghajnsielem is also expected to be included up front.

The Stripes will have two players who will be returning to the side after having missed the past season. They are striker Matthew Calascione and midfielder Antoine Zahra. The former was in Australia, while Zahra had been sidelined by injury.

Also, the Stripes could include some of the foreigners on trial with them at present, especially Styliov and Gomes who, together with Precious Monye, could be their foreigners the coming season. Also having a trial with them are a Nigerian goalkeeper and another Portuguese player, Conceicao.

In their last meeting last season, Birkirkara had beaten Sliema 5-4 on penalties in the Trophy semi-final, after a goalless draw.