Times of Malta sports reporter Kevin Azzopardi says Maltese Premier League club Birkirkara cannot wait to test themselves against West Ham United
The Times of Malta sports reporter Kevin Azzopardi says Maltese Premier League club Birkirkara cannot wait to test themselves against West Ham United in the UEFA Europa League…
Kevin, can you please start by telling us about football in Malta?
“You might already know that English football is very popular on the island of Malta. It has a wide following and there are many supporters’ clubs who follow the big Premier League clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. West Ham also have a supporters’ club in Malta.
“Football is the No1 sport by far. People here follow the sport closely and most have an interest in and support clubs in the English, German and Italian leagues.
“This game has created quite a good deal of excitement, as it is the first time in many years that an English team has visited the island.”
We understand the tie has caught the imagination of Maltese football supporters, who do not get to see English Premier League clubs very often on the island?
“Maltese clubs have played Europa League matches at their own grounds, but this game has been moved to the National Stadium at Ta’Qali, which says everything you need to know about how big a game this is for Maltese football.
“Birkirkara and the authorities are expecting quite a big crowd. The stadium holds about 17 thousand, and I have seen a lot in the press about interest in tickets.
“The West Ham fans will be situated in the Millennium Stand, which holds just under five thousand, and they have an allocation of 3,000 tickets. I believe they are expecting around five thousand Maltese supporters to attend, so that would mean a total attendance of between eight to ten thousand.”
Kevin, can you please start by telling us about football in Malta?
“You might already know that English football is very popular on the island of Malta. It has a wide following and there are many supporters’ clubs who follow the big Premier League clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. West Ham also have a supporters’ club in Malta.
“Football is the No1 sport by far. People here follow the sport closely and most have an interest in and support clubs in the English, German and Italian leagues.
“This game has created quite a good deal of excitement, as it is the first time in many years that an English team has visited the island.”
We understand the tie has caught the imagination of Maltese football supporters, who do not get to see English Premier League clubs very often on the island?
“Maltese clubs have played Europa League matches at their own grounds, but this game has been moved to the National Stadium at Ta’Qali, which says everything you need to know about how big a game this is for Maltese football.
“Birkirkara and the authorities are expecting quite a big crowd. The stadium holds about 17 thousand, and I have seen a lot in the press about interest in tickets.
“The West Ham fans will be situated in the Millennium Stand, which holds just under five thousand, and they have an allocation of 3,000 tickets. I believe they are expecting around five thousand Maltese supporters to attend, so that would mean a total attendance of between eight to ten thousand.”
Birkirkara finished third in the Maltese Premier League last season, but they won the FA Cup. They have been one of the best teams in Malta in the last decade, but they lacked consistency last season
What can you tell us about our opponents Birkirkara FC?
“Birkirkara are one of the biggest teams on the island and they are playing a big league match or cup final against Valletta or Floriana then you can expect a crowd of seven thousand to be there to watch.
“Birkirkara finished third in the Maltese Premier League last season, but they won the FA Cup. They have been one of the best teams in Malta in the last decade, but they lacked consistency last season.
“They have a strong squad with seven or eight internationals and their Maltese players certainly have a lot of experience. The new manager has added Fabrizio Miccoli, who played for Italy, the Slovenian forward Vito Plut from Floriana and a Bosnian winger Edin Murga.
“As for the manager, Tedesco is a typical Italian coach and appears to be very tactically astute and has attention to detail in his planning.”
How do you expect the tie to pan out?
“Obviously West Ham is the favourite to advance but I think Birkirkara could give a good account of themselves.
“Another Maltese club, Valetta, played Lusitans of Andorra, who West Ham beat in the first qualifying round, and beat them 5-0 at home. The standard of Maltese football is much higher than they play in Andorra.
“If Birkirkara are still in contention after the first leg, then that will be a successful result for them in London. However, they go into the tie with a lot of expectation after winning against Ulisses in the first qualifying round.
“Usually, Maltese teams get through the qualifying round, but coming up against West Ham, who qualified through Fair Play, will make that more difficult this year.”
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.
“Birkirkara are one of the biggest teams on the island and they are playing a big league match or cup final against Valletta or Floriana then you can expect a crowd of seven thousand to be there to watch.
“Birkirkara finished third in the Maltese Premier League last season, but they won the FA Cup. They have been one of the best teams in Malta in the last decade, but they lacked consistency last season.
“They have a strong squad with seven or eight internationals and their Maltese players certainly have a lot of experience. The new manager has added Fabrizio Miccoli, who played for Italy, the Slovenian forward Vito Plut from Floriana and a Bosnian winger Edin Murga.
“As for the manager, Tedesco is a typical Italian coach and appears to be very tactically astute and has attention to detail in his planning.”
How do you expect the tie to pan out?
“Obviously West Ham is the favourite to advance but I think Birkirkara could give a good account of themselves.
“Another Maltese club, Valetta, played Lusitans of Andorra, who West Ham beat in the first qualifying round, and beat them 5-0 at home. The standard of Maltese football is much higher than they play in Andorra.
“If Birkirkara are still in contention after the first leg, then that will be a successful result for them in London. However, they go into the tie with a lot of expectation after winning against Ulisses in the first qualifying round.
“Usually, Maltese teams get through the qualifying round, but coming up against West Ham, who qualified through Fair Play, will make that more difficult this year.”
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.