After all the euphoria and elation generated by their historic qualification for the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League, Ħamrun Spartans will switch their focus to the domestic scene when they face fierce rivals Valletta in the YoHealth Malta Premier on Sunday at the National Stadium (kick-off: 7.30pm).
The Malta champions had only a few days to recover from their physical exertions in Riga where they managed to battle their way to a 3-2 aggregate victory over FC RFS and secure their place on the big stage of European football.
But on Sunday night, they will have to be firing on all cylinders when they face their neighbouring rivals Valletta, in a bid to kickstart their title defence following their disappointing 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Tarxien Rainbows.
Coach Giacomo Modica expressed all his sentiments of joy after his team’s historic qualification but admitted that today’s game against Valletta was a very important match of the club and the players had the duty to give everything they have to get the right result.
“At the moment, I can only express a sentiment of joy after securing such a great feat not only for our club but also for Maltese football in general,” the Italian coach said.
“I am grateful to the club’s administration who showed a great sense of professionalism and support to all of us, the fans for their constant support and every member of the technical staff as their work was crucial to reach this objective.ż
“But for now, the European journey will take a pause and all our focus is on a very important match against Valletta. I am hearing a lot about the great rivalry that exists between the two sets of fans and I hope that this will be a beautiful football match that will provide a lot of entertainment for the huge crowd present.
“But it’s important to remember that this is a football match and not a conflict. I hope both sets of fans support their players in the right way.
“The feedback has been massive, which is very positive, but at the end of the day, it’s only the second match of the season.
“It’s still just three points, even if the rivalry means neither side wants to lose.”
“Obviously, we have to recover all our energies for this match and make sure that we are ready to produce a strong performance that will make proud the colours and the badge of our club.”
On his part, Ħamrun Spartans winger Merlin Hadzi shared his coach’s joy for the historic qualification but is determined to help his team turn up and produce a big performance today.
“What we achieved is fantastic,” Hadzi said.
“Football is all about emotions but also about staying focused.
“Riga is now behind us; we must be ready for Sunday. Physically and mentally, we are prepared.
“I have played in the Conference League before, but here it has been a nationwide celebration, with even people outside football embracing our success.
“This is something positive for us, for the club, and for Maltese football.
“The Maltese league is physical and improving.
“We know the magnitude of this game for our fans on Sunday, so our focus now is fully on getting our first win of the league against Valletta.”
Valletta too come into this match in search of their first win of the season after they held Birkirkara to a goalless draw in the opening match.
Coach Thane Micallef said that his team spent the past 15 days analysing their performance and is hopeful to see more improvement in today’s clash against the Spartans.
“Against Birkirkara we showed the positives we had been working on, while also correcting our mistakes,” Micallef said.
“It’s still a work in progress, and we’ll continue to work hard.
“Promotion required significant changes, especially with the increase in foreign players, but I believe the administration has done a very good job.
“If we look at the transfer market, we are competitive. Now it’s up to us to come together, adapt quickly, and perform at our best.
“The squad is still new, so time is needed to instill the philosophy and style of play we want to apply”.
Club captain Brandon Paiber can’t wait for his team’s clash against Ħamrun Spartans as he believes it’s an opportunity to show their level of competitiveness.
“I firmly believe that against Birkirkara we performed well,” Paiber told reporters.
“With only three players remaining from last season’s squad, and all the new additions in the summer, it was a solid performance, and we deserved the three points.
“Sunday’s match against Ħamrun Spartans is very important, just like every other game.
“In the opening game, we didn’t score, but we created good chances, and that is the most important thing.
“We always prepare in the best way possible.
“We are focused, we know the quality we have, and now it’s about us in proving that we can compete with any team at the highest level.”
