Sliema Wanderers will make their much-awaited return to a UEFA club competition whey they face FC Noah in the UEFA Conference League, second qualifying round tie in Armenia on Thursday evening (kick-off: 6pm).
The Wanderers were ‘promoted’ to the second qualifying round of the competition following Olympiakos’ triumph last May over Fiorentina and coach Paul Zammit says that while they are looking forward to kickstart their campaign, they are bracing themselves for a debut of fire in the Conference League.
“We are really looking forward to our return in a UEFA club competition after an absence of ten years,” Zammit told the Times of Malta.
“Olympiakos success in last May’s final meant that we were promoted to the second qualifying round, and while it’s a prestigious feat, at the same time it put us against some very tough opposition.
“Here in Malta we may not follow much the Armenian league, but its a very competitive championship with the top teams operating on very lucrative budgets. Our opponents, FC Noah, enjoy a very big financial backing and boast a very strong squad.
“Last season, they finished second in the Armenian championship and their main asset is their coach Rui Mota, a 45-year-old mentor who for a long time worked as assistant to Ricardo Sa Pinto, a well-known Portuguese coach, with whom he gained a lot of experience.
“The club’s main goal this season is to win the Armenian championship but also to reach the group stages of the Conference League. They boast a squad full of players who played in the top-tiers in Greece, Romania, Georgia, Brazil and Portugal and that shows you the difficult task that is awaiting us.”
Despite, the difficult test awaiting his team, Zammit stressed the importance that his players make the most of this opportunity.
“I am very pleased with my team’s preparation for this tie and it’s important that we use this experience to continue to grow as a team,” Zammit said.
“We have been building our squad for the past two years, and this summer we brought in some quality additions that will give a better dimension to our team and increase our level of competitivity.
“I am happy with the group of players that I have but that doesn’t mean that our transfer campaign is finished. We will continue to monitor the market and we will move in if we feel that there is the right player to further strengthen our squad.”
Asked what was his main objective for today’s first leg, Zammit was very clear on what he expects from his team.
“The priority for me is not the final result but the performance of the team,” he said.
“I want my team to express themselves at the top of their qualities and try and put in a strong performance. We need to be ambitious and try to create problems for our more-quoted opponents. For me, it’s important to approach the match in the right way as that will give us a better opportunity to produce a positive performance that can make our club proud.
