Local champions Valletta FC should encounter little or no difficulty this evening when they face Tre Fiori of San Marino in the second leg of their first qualifying round tie (kick-off 7.30pm).

Leading 3-0 after the first leg in Serravalle last week, the citizens seem set to qualify to meet Lithuania’s Ekranas in the next round.

In that first match, Valletta proved to be a totally superior outfit even if they were playing in front of the Tre Fiori fans.

Today’s match should be more or less a training session for Jesmond Zerafa’s boys who have started the season on a high – their 3-0 win last week came following their Euro Cup victory after a 2-1 defeat of Floriana and a 2-2 draw against Birkirkara.

One thing the citizens have to avoid today is feeling assured of their qualification. Not that there is any doubt about who will be qualifying – even their opponents are aware of that. But an unexpected negative result would bring about a lot of disappointment among their numerous fans who are expected to pack the small Hibernians Stadium.

Coach Jesmond Zerafa said yesterday that despite the 3-0 cushion from last week’s match, his side has to be disciplined today. “It is still an important match for us. We are playing in front of our own supporters and it should be a spectacle. The 3-0 win was quite positive. In fact, we can play with a lot of tranquillity in our home match in the sense that we are almost assured of qualification,” he said.

Zerafa is not expected to make radical changes to the side that played last week. He will still use the same formation with Effiong leading the attack. His striking partner could be newcomer Ousseni Zongo who missed last week’s match as his international clearance certificate did not arrive in time.

If, as expected, Valletta qualify, they will be meeting Ekranas of Lithuania next week at the Hibernians Stadium in the first leg match of the second qualifying round.