Ħamrun Spartans face FK Partizan in Belgrade on Thursday (9pm) in the first of the two-legged tie of the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off stage.
Having ousted Alashkert from Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Velez Mostar and Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia along the way, it comes as no surprise that there is an air of optimism in the Spartans camp ahead of this important first leg.
Fully aware that they are on the brink of history by claiming a first-ever group stage berth, the Ħamrun outfit, led by former Malta national team assistant coach Branko Nisevic, are all set to step into the Stadion FK Partizan and give it their all, but they are not underestimating their opponents.
FK Partizan’s glorious history speaks for itself – 27 times national champions and 16 times winners of the national cup, the Belgrade outfit are at the moment occupying eighth place in the Serbian Super Liga – 8 points adrift of arch rivals Red Star Belgrade, after five matches played. They recently appointed former FK Partizan player Gordon Petric as their new head coach after a very uncertain start to the season.
The Ħamrun Spartans’ tie is their last chance to salvage their European season following last year’s last-16 appearance in the same competition.
“Although they are going through a difficult period, we are aware that FK Partizan remains a very good team,” Hamrun winger Juan Corbalan told Times of Malta.
“We are expecting a very tough game in Serbia, but we are well-prepared. We have been training hard and we cannot wait to step on the field of play on Thursday.”
Corbalan, 25, has been a regular fixture for the Spartans in this competition after his excellent second-half performance with Malta against San Marino during June’s UEFA Nations League qualifier at the Serravalle Stadium.
Against Partizan, Corbalan will be playing his 14th European qualifier having already played part in seven games while at Gżira United.
Corbalan was part of the Maroons’ heroic 3-1 win against Hajduk Split, of Croatian, in what was another memorable moment for Maltese football.
Partisan's fifth tie against a Maltese team
For Partizan, this will be their fifth tie against a Maltese club in a UEFA competition.
In their previous eight encounters, they only lost once – to Sliema Wanderers in the 2000/2001 UEFA Cup.
The Spartans would like to add another positive result for Malta to that list, despite once again having to play in a tricky and hostile environment, similar to the one they faced against Velez Mostar and Levski Sofia.
“We have a huge belief in ourselves and we try to give our best whenever we are on the field,” Corbalan said.
“All these results are a huge collective effort and we believe that we are on the right track to achieve more positive results.”
The Ħamrun Spartans players are expected to be boosted by a large number of supporters who have followed their heroes on their away trip. The charter flight from Malta to Serbia was sold-out by the club, with over 120 Ħamrun fans travelling with the team to give their vocal support tonight.
Corbalan heaped praise on the contribution the supporters have given the team throughout all games so far.
“I cannot thank our supporters enough,” he said.
“They have been amazing and they have been of huge support in both home and away games for us.”
Partizan are heading into this match far from in a good run of form and last week’s 1-0 win at Mladost was only their second in the Super Liga this season.
Petric: 'It will not be easy against Ħamrun'
Partizan Belgrade coach Petric is certainly not underestimating the threat posed by Ħamrun Spartans and said that his players will have to roll up their sleeves when facing what he described as an awkward team.
“We are approaching the match with maximum concentration,” Petric said.
“Yesterday we made a small analysis of our opponents and we will have another one today. The players are aware that it’s not going to be an easy match.
“Our team is formed by professional players and they know that they have to take care of who they are playing against.
“Ħamrun Spartans is not a team whose players are from Malta.
“The majority of the team is made up of foreign players who have already played six matches in Europe this season so they will be tough.
“I watched all their matches in Europe. Maybe they were a bit lucky against Levski Sofia, but they are an extremely difficult team to face and we have to do our homework well tomorrow if we are to reach the required level to win.”