Ħamrun Spartans will be bidding to upset Kosovo champions FC Ballkani and progress to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League when the two sides go head to head at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on Tuesday (kick-off: 8pm).
The two sides met already in last week’s first leg in Kosovo where they cancelled each other in a goalless draw, thus leaving qualification wide open.
FC Ballkani were left to rue a number of missed goalscoring chances in last week’s first leg, including a first-half penalty which they failed to convert.
On the other hand, Ħamrun Spartans were very compact at the back but their attacking play left much to be desired, so much so that they failed to register a single shot on target, much to the disappointment of coach Alessandro Zinnari.
The Italian coach said that the Spartans need to step up their game if they are to upset their more-quoted opponents and set up a third qualifying round clash against Northern Irish side Larne.
“I’m expecting a very open game,” Zinnari told the Times of Malta.
“I feel that we start as the underdogs as FC Ballkani is a very strong side as they showed in the first leg last week. They have some very technical players in their team and are capable of attacking at a very high pace so we need to remain on the alert.
“In the first leg we did well to preserve a clean sheet until the end, even though we were aided by a bit of luck. We conceded a very bad penalty but luckily they failed to convert.”
Zinnari said that his team’s main goal was to be more effective when pushing forward in a bid to get the important goal that can see them through.
“We will try and play a different game tomorrow night,” Zinnari said.
Ambition
“There is a lot of ambition but we have to go up against a very strong opponent. Last week we committed too many technical errors when pushing forward and that saw us continuously lose possession and end up under pressure.
“We need to try and play our game and make good use of the ball. That will be the only way to create chances. I sincerely hope that our fans will play a key role for us as their support is crucial for us to get what would be a very important victory for us.
“I hope our fans will create a very passionate atmosphere so that hopefully can inspire our players to a great performance and hopefully a win.”
Zinnari is set to be without three key players as defender Steve Borg is out suspended while wing back Ryan Camenzuli and midfielder Eder are unlikely to feature due to muscle injuries.
