Sliema Wanderers' route to the second qualifying round of the Champions League will again involve tricky tests against a team from an ex-Soviet Union country after the draw paired the Maltese champions with Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova.
This is the third time in the last three years that Sliema will tackle opposition from Eastern Europe. Two years ago, their meeting against Latvia's FC Skonto brought great satisfaction for the Blues who reached the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
A year later, Sliema's Champions League experience was far less positive after being bundled out at the first hurdle by FBK Kaunas of Lithuania 6-1 on aggregate.
On the surface, Sliema's chances of reaching the second round look fairly encouraging but their president Robert Arrigo urged caution.
"Not knowing the team makes it very difficult to properly assess our chances of making the next round," Arrigo said yesterday.
"Sheriff definitely have a lot of experience in the European Cup. For Maltese sides, making the grade in Europe is very difficult because we cannot compete on a level playing field. To surpass the first hurdle, any Maltese team have to be extremely organised in their performances but Sliema have done this in the past and I believe we can do it again."
Arrigo expects Sliema to be better equipped to cope with the challenge of European football this year. "We should be better prepared for the Champions League this time around," Arrigo said. "Last year's preparations were plagued by destabilising factors like injuries and new players not joining us in time to play in Europe. Training is progressing well and this augurs well for our upcoming ties with Sheriff Tiraspol."
The outcome of the draw yesterday came with a tinge of disappointment for Arrigo who had hoped in a prestigious match with Liverpool.
"We really wished to be drawn against Liverpool," he said. "It would have been a tremendous experience for the club and for the Maltese public but the luck of the draw decreed otherwise."
Last year, Malta drew 0-0 with Moldova in a match from the International Tournament. In 2000, Moldova beat Malta 1-0 in a friendly match that was played in Chisinau.
The winner of the Sliema-Sheriff tie (first leg in Malta on July 13) will meet Serbia's FK Partizan in the second qualifying round.
UEFA Cup
In the UEFA Cup, Maltese clubs Birkirkara and Hibernians were pitched in matches against Cyprus teams. Birkirkara, runners-up in the Premier League and FA Trophy winners, will face Apoel Nicosia while Hibs take on Omonia Nicosia.
The draw had both Maltese clubs playing the first leg at home but it was later confirmed that Hibs' sequence had been reversed and they will now play their first match against Omonia in Cyprus on July 14. Birkirkara host Apoel at Ta' Qali for the first leg. Like their Maltese opponents, Apoel and Omonia share the main stadium in their country for European assignments.
Victor Zammit, the president of Birkirkara, described Apoel as formidable opponents.
"They are a club with a great history," Zammit said. "Apoel are definitely a strong team... their co-efficient is three times better than ours.
"They also have the money to sign players and have already strengthened their squad with new additions. Our chances of beating them for a place in the second qualifying round are remote but that does not mean that we will not try to hold our own."
Hibernians, back in the UEFA Cup after figuring in the Intertoto competition in 2003 and 2004, are also wary of Omonia Nicosia.
"At this stage, I cannot really comment on the merits of this draw because we know virtually nothing about our opponents," Tony Bezzina, the Hibernians president, said.
"It's going to be a hard match for us because football in Cyprus has improved significantly in the last decade but we will give it our best shot."
The Maltese national team suffered identical 2-1 defeats to Cyprus in the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign.
Lowdown on maltese clubs' opponents...
FC Sheriff (Moldova)
FC Sheriff were founded just eight years ago but they have already won five Moldovan titles as well as the 2003 Commonwealth Cup.
Led by coach Leonid Kuchuk, they were crowned champions with three rounds to spare last season, finishing 10 points clear of second-placed FC Nistru Otaci.
Last year, Sheriff Tiraspol reached the second qualifying round of the Champions League after ousting AS Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg 2-1 on aggregate. Their next opponents were Norwegian champions Rosenborg who won the tie 4-1 on aggregate.
AC Omonia (Cyprus)
AC Omonia qualified for the UEFA Cup after winning the 2005 Cypriot Cup for the 12th time in their history.
In the final, they beat first-time finalists Dighenis Akritas Morphou FC 2-0. The cup success provided some consolation for Omonia after they finished a disappointing third in the league.
Omonia Nicosia are not new to Maltese football as they twice faced Maltese clubs in Euro competitions in the past. In 1985-86, they were drawn against Rabat Ajax in the first round of the Champions Cup. They won both legs with an identical 5-0 scoreline to cruise into the next round.
Ten years later, they came up against Sliema Wanderers in the UEFA Cup. The first leg in Cyprus saw Omonia emerging winners by a 3-0 scoreline. The Cypriots also won the return match at the National Stadium 2-1 for a 5-1 aggregate win.
FC APOEL (Cyprus)
The 2004-05 season was very disappointing for FC Apoel who were forced to concede the league title to rivals Anorthosis Famagusta. They finished second, four points adrift of the newly-crowned champions.
FC Apoel have already started to strengthen their team for their Euro commitments and have secured the services of experienced Australian midfielder Paul Okon, formerly of Middlesbrough and Lazio. They have also appointed a new coach, Marios Konstantinou who replaces Werner Lorant of Germany.