Champions Birkirkara and their big rivals, Sliema Wanderers face off this evening in the opening match of the Euro Challenge Cup – a competition reserved for the three clubs representing Malta in the forthcoming UEFA club competitions. The other team is Hibernians who will be in action next Wednesday. Kick-off today is at 8pm.

It is the final week of preparation for the three sides before they take on their European opponents next week in the first legs.

So all the three coaches, Stephen Azzopardi (Birkirkara), Edward Aquilina (Sliema W.) and Robert Gatt (Hibernians) will try to see in what shape their players are after just three weeks of training.

Sliema will be defending the Cup they won last season, but to be fair, it is still very early and one cannot expect the players of the three teams to be at their best in early July conditions, despite the late kick off.

The losers today will meet Hibernians on Wednesday and the winners will face the Paolites on Friday.

Birkirkara will be expected to parade at least some, if not all, their new foreigners this season. As is well known, the Stripes will be signing five foreign players, including a former Poland international goalkeeper who is expected to have his first taste of Maltese football this evening. The aim behind this move is, first of all, to try and qualify for the second round, but also to get replacements for David Simon, Precious Monye and Emil Yantchev whose contracts have not been renewed.

Apart from the Polish goalie, Senegalese Pascal Mendy, a defender who was on the books of Russia’s Dinamo Moscow for more than two seasons, as well as some Italian players, seem to be figuring among their plans for the coming season.

On their part, Sliema will be expected to parade Czech striker Zdenek Svoboda who should be Danilo Doncic’s replacement. The 37-year-old Doncic, as well as another veteran, Joe Brincat, will not be retained by Sliema this new season.