Ħamrun Spartans eye win over Runavik to progress in Conference League, Marsaxlokk look to restore pride

Ħamrun Spartans are bidding to reach the second qualifying round of the competition when they host Faroe Islands’ side NSI Runavik at the Centenary Stadium (kick-off: 7.30pm).

The Maltese side will be looking to build on last week’s encouraging 1-1 draw in the Faroe Islands and secure the win that can send them to a second qualifying round clash against Slovenian side FC Koper.

Marsaxlokk, on their part, have little hope of making it to the next phase of the qualifying phase following last week’s damaging 3-0 defeat against Armenian side Pyunik at the Centenary Stadium and will be looking for a respectable result in today’s return leg in Armenia (kick-off: 6pm).

The Spartans are likely to be in a much better physical condition than last week’s opening leg, which saw the team take the pitch just a few hours after arriving at the Faroe Islands due to poor weather conditions.

Ħamrun Spartans coach Stefano Sanderra is hopeful his team can build on last week’s solid performance and hopes his players can make another step forward in terms of their level of performance.

“This is a very important match for us, and we need to take the next step in terms of our performance,” the Italian coach said.

“Last week, we managed to get a good result given the circumstances, but on Thursday I want to see more from my players. One has to remember that we are facing a strong team who are capable of putting us in a lot of difficulty, so we must stick to the task right from the outset.

“Runavik is a very physical side who have some good players and are very dangerous in set-piece situations, so we can’t afford any lapses of concentration.”

Asked in what areas he expects his team to show signs of improvement, Sanderra said: “There isn’t one specific area, I think we have to improve in every sector of our game. One has to remember that we are a new team who is still trying to gel together.

“One thing I would like to see is that we try to impose our game and dominate possession, as that would give us complete control of the game. We need to dictate the tempo of the game and make sure that we take the chances that come our way.”

Sanderra is boosted by the fact that wing back Ryan Camenzuli and Ognjen Bjelicic have both recovered full fitness, albeit they are unlikely to be involved from the start given that they haven’t trained a lot in recent weeks.

Saloiu Thioune, the Spartans’ latest signing, will not be involved today as he was not registered in time for the tie. He will be involved in the UEFA Conference League matches, should the Spartans progress.

In Armenia, Marsaxlokk face another difficult task against Pyunik.

Last week’s damaging 3-0 defeat at home has all but extinguished the Maltese side’s hopes of progressing to the next round.

But despite that disappointing result, coach Vincenzo Potenza will be keen to see his players produce a strong response with a more disciplined display this evening.

The winners of this tie will face Hungarian giants Debreceni.