Ħamrun Spartans to face Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps in Champions League

Ħamrun Spartans were drawn to face Gibraltar’s Lincoln Red Imps in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.

It was a positive outcome for the Malta champions who were hoping to be handed a much easier draw than last season when they were drawn to face Israeli giants Maccabi Haifa.

A tie against Lincoln Red Imps provides the Spartans with the opportunity of managing to progressing at least one round in the Champions League which would give them a better opportunity of challenging for a berth in the group stages of the UEFA Conference League.

Over the past few years, Lincoln have improved a lot and in August 2021, they became the first club from Gibraltar to ever reach the group stages of a European club competition after defeating the Latvian champions Riga FC in the play-off round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Last season, Lincoln Red Imps were eliminated from the third qualifying round of the Champions League by Ballkani, of Kosovo, who are among the potential opponents for the Spartans.

The club has won 7 domestic trebles and 4 doubles in its history. They hold the record for Europe’s longest chronological unbeaten league run of 88 matches over 1,959 days from May 2009 to September 2014.

The first match will be played at the Centenary Stadium on either July 9 or 10 with the second leg in Gibraltar on July 16 or 17.