Balzan and Birkirkara will have their eyes firmly set on keeping alive their European dream when the two neighbouring rivals go head to head in this afternoon’s FA Trophy semi-final at the National Stadium (kick-off: 5pm).

After failing to secure a top-four spot in the BOV Premier League this season, the Reds and the Stripes are now banking on going all the way in the FA Trophy to take the final spot for Maltese clubs in the Europa League qualifiers this summer.

Balzan reached the semi-finals after brushing aside Tarxien Rainbows 3-0 last week while Birkirkara had to battle more than expected to see off Mosta 2-1.

Jacques Scerri, the Balzan coach, said that he was pleased overall with his team’s progress since he replaced Marko Micovic last February and said that there is belief among the Balzan players that they can still end the campaign on a high with what would be an historic triumph in the competition.

“When you take charge of a team in the middle of the season, it’s not easy to have an instant change in fortunes,” Scerri told a news conference.

“I only have words of praise for the players who in the past months have shown great determination and work ethic in every training session and that is mirrored by team’s strong run in the final weeks of the league campaign.

“For us the match against Birkirkara is the most important match of the season as it provides us with the chance to give ourselves another shot at European football this summer.

“It will not be easy as Birkirkara are also desperate for European football, but we need to focus on ourselves and ensure that we take the pitch with the right determination to ensure we have the best performance possible to go on and reach the final.”

The Balzan coach is boosted by the news that Colombian defender Elkin Serrano is again available for selection after he had his six-match ban, imposed on him by the Disciplinary Commissioner following his dismissal in their final league match against Hibernians, annulled after the club successfully appealed to the ruling.

During the last two seasons, Balzan have come very close to end the club’s title drought with strong performances in both the Premier League and the FA Trophy.

Scerri hopes it will be a case of third time lucky for the Reds 

“Balzan were so close to silverware in the last two years but for some reason or another they always missed out,” Scerri said.

“Now we find ourselves again on the cusp of a place in the final and being given the chance to inscribe our name in the club’s history books should act as great motivation to try and achieve what others failed in the past.”

On his part, Nikola Vukanac, the Birkirkara defender, recognised that 2018-19 campaign offered little cause of satisfaction to the Stripes clan but said that they had one last opportunity to salvage a poor campaign.

“This has been a very disappointing season by Birkirkara’s standards,” the Serbian told the media.

“Since I came at the club ten years ago, I never experienced something similar. This semi-final provides us with a final opportunity to take our club to European football.

“We know that it will not be easy as Balzan are also thirsty for Cup success, but we need to do everything we can to finish the season on the right note.”

Club's changes

Vukanac admitted that the club’s decision to effect so many changes during the season has been detrimental to the team and said that the Stripes’ players must use all their experience to try and end the season by winning the FA Trophy.

“I have only been at the club since February but the continuous coaching changes did little to provide the right tranquility to help us overcome our problems,” he said.

“Since John Buttigieg took charge of the team we feel that things are finally going in the right direction. Our performance against Mosta may not have been perfect but we still managed to find a way through.

“One advantage that we have is the fact that many players have a lot of experience of such matches and hopefully this will help us to finish the campaign in the best possible way.”

Meanwhile, the Malta FA has taken the unprecedented step of announcing the referees of this weekend’s semi-finals.

Today’s match will be directed by Fyodor Zammit.

PROGRAMME

TODAY

Balzan vs Birkirkara 17.00

TOMORROW

Gżira United vs Valletta      17.00