Floriana will be chasing an historic result in the UEFA Conference League when they look to defy the odds and upset Portuguese giants Vitoria Guimaraes in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, second leg on Thursday (kick-off: 9.15pm).
The Greens have their work cut out tonight as they need to overturn a 1-0 defeat from last week’s opening leg at the Centenary Stadium, with Jota netting the all-important goal for Vitoria late on.
The pressure is all on Vitoria Guimaraes’ shoulders and that may play in Floriana’s hands should they manage to stay in the tie for large parts of the match tonight at the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques.
Coach Darren Abdilla said that he is looking forward to the match and says it’s an opportunity for his team to showcase their ability in the UEFA club competition.
“We are excited about the match against Vitoria tomorrow,” Abdilla told the Times of Malta.
“It’s a great chance for us to show what we can do in the UEFA Conference League. The team has been working hard, and we feel ready.
“We know Vitoria is a good team and respect them, but we are focused on doing our best. The team’s spirit is high, and we can’t wait for the game to kick off.”
Abdilla admitted that Vitoria in all probability take control of the match, with long spells of possession.
However, the former Gżira United coach has no plans to have the home side have it all their way and said that they have a game plan in store to try and hurt their opponents with quick transitions.
“Our plan for the match is all about good preparation and teamwork. We analyzed Vitoria well to come up with a plan
to get something out of the game.
“We want to have a strong defence and but we need to be efficient in attack. We aim to control the game, take our chances to score and stop them from scoring.
“It will be difficult against a strong side backed by 20,000 supporters cheering them at their stadium, but I have faith in my players to give them a run for their money.”
Floriana have strengthened their ranks last weekend with the capture of Nigerian striker Franklin Sasere but parted ways with Argentine midfielder Uli Arias who has since moved to Marsaxlokk.
Sasere signing
However, Abdilla cannot bank on the services of the Nigerian forward as Sasere was not registered in time to feature for this match.
Otherwise, Abdilla has no selection problems and can field his strongest formation.
At the Centenary Stadium Sliema Wanderers will be looking to restore some pride after their disastrous performance in Armenia last week, which saw them suffer a 7-0 humbling to FC Noah.
With qualification surely out of their reach, Sliema Wanderers will be bidding to try and put in a more respectable showing and give a good challenge to their more superior opponents (kick-off: 7pm).
Paul Zammit must have surely been disappointed with the Wanderers’ defensive organisation against FC Noah in Armenia which saw his players concede a number of goals to their opponents with some costly errors.
Sliema coach Paul Zammit is likely to make some changes to his starting formation as he looks to bow out of the competition with a much-improved display and possibly a positive result.
