Valletta FC start their mission in the Champions League this evening with the first leg of their preliminary round tie against Tre Fiori, the San Marino champions.

The match is being played at the Serravalle Stadium and kicks off at 8.30pm.

The local champions have been in the tiny Republic, situated between Bologna and Rimini in Italy, since last Saturday, and have been preparing hard to face this obstacle in an effort to qualify for the next round.

Coach Jesmond Zerafa is optimistic about his team’s chances. He is aware of the fact that Tre Fiori have the advantage of playing in front of their own fans, but he firmly believes in the capabilities of his players and is convinced Valletta can achieve a positive result.

The citizens have started the season on a positive note beating Floriana 2-1 and drawing with Birkirkara 2-2 to lift the first honour of the new season – the Euro Cup.

Now the team is eagerly awaiting today’s clash to be able to confirm predictions by club president Victor Sciriha that they are ready to advance further in the Champions League.

Zerafa will be selecting his starting line-up from the following 19 players who have made the trip to San Marino:

Goalkeepers: Andrew Hogg, Yenz Cini

Defenders: Jonathan Caruana, Kenneth Scicluna, Steve Borg.

Midfielders: Gilbert Agius, Edmond Agius, Roderick Briffa, Denni Rocha Dos Santos, Ryan Fenech, Cleavon Frendo, Dyson Falzon, Kurt Magro, Jamie Pace, Kevin Sammut

Strikers: William Barbosa, Alfred Effiong, Ian Zammit, Ousenni Zongo.