Hibernians will also be in action this evening in Nicosia as they take on Omonia in a first qualifying round first leg match.

It is also a difficult clash for the Paolites as Omonia are considered to be more or less of the same calibre as Apoel who are meeting Birkirkara at Ta’ Qali this evening.

Gatt is also expected to adopt a cautious approach right from the start of the match in the hope of limiting his opponents’ dangerous breaks.

On his part, Gatt hopes that his side will be able to surprise the Cypriot side with some fast breaks through the initiatives of newcomer Haruna Doda (formerly of Birkirkara) and Footballer of the Year Andrew Cohen.

Gatt is expected to start with the following formation in Nicosia:

M. Muscat, R. Mintoff, A. Xuerebn, A. Pulis, R. Baldacchino; P. Pullicino, E. Mbong, A. Cohen, D. Camilleri; T. Scerri, H. Doda.

The other players available for Gatt are Michael Xuereb, Alex Camilleri, Edmond Agius, Ben Caruana, Jonathan Pearson, Julian Vella, Kenneth Spiteri, Matthew Bartolo, Clayton Failla and Antoine Zahra.

The Paolites are expected to do their best to come out of the ordeal with flying colours and a result which might also leave them hoping of making progress into the next round after the match in Malta in two weeks time.