Ħamrun Spartans face a tough European test tonight as they welcome Israeli heavyweights Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Tony Bezzina Stadium for the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
After heading out of the Champions League with back-to-back defeats against Dynamo Kyiv, the Maltese champions are looking to reset and show their true potential. Coach Giacomo Modica has challenged his players to erase those disappointing performances and play fearlessly against a side with deep European pedigree.
“We need to show pride for our shirt and give everything on the pitch,” Modica said in the pre-match press conference. “If we go out, we do it with our heads held high.”
In a seperate interview with Malta Sport, speaking about the new signings, Giacomo Modica said that these are high profile players but obviously need to gain pysical fitness and integrate with the team and the sytem the team plays. Modica however said that there is no doubt that these signing are expected to raise the overall quality of the squad.
The match also marks a possible debut for Ħamrun’s new signing, Croatian playmaker Ante Ćorić, formerly of Dinamo Zagreb and AS Roma, who is eager to make an impact and help the team push forward in Europe.
Speaking to Malta Sport, Ćorić said that although he had a few traning sessions with his new team he can see that everyone is training hard and sees potential in the sqaud.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, 26-time Israeli champions, arrive as favourites, but Ħamrun will be hoping home support and renewed spirit can inspire a strong showing in front of a packed crowd.
The game will be played at 7pm and the winner will face the loser of Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine or Pafos of Cyprus while the loser plays against the other loser from the Europa League Q3 between RFS of Latvia and Kups of Finland.
