Experienced Birkirkara frontman Fabrizio Miccoli insists he saw plenty in the first leg at the Boleyn Ground to suggest the Maltese outfit have a serious job on their hands
Experienced Birkirkara frontman Fabrizio Miccoli insists he saw plenty in the first leg at the Boleyn Ground to suggest the Maltese outfit have a serious job on their hands to overturn the Hammers’ one-goal lead.
The 36-year-old Italian counts Juventus, Fiorentina and Palermo among his former employers and is determined to use the nous acquired in some two decades in the game’s upper echelons to give his new employers a helping hand.
While Miccoli is naturally excited by the prospect of a high-profile tie at Malta’s Ta’ Qali national stadium on Thursday, he concedes the second qualifying round draw could have been a whole lot kinder.
“It goes without saying that we are fully aware of what we’re up against, it was clear from the first leg,” he said. "But we also have our own weapons and we will try to use them. As long as we give everything we can on the pitch, nobody can ask any more of us.
“I believe that Maltese football is on the up, not only with Birkirkara, but also with other Maltese teams in Europe lately, there seems to be an upward trend. We were both fortunate and unfortunate to come up against West Ham.
“Fortunate in that it’s a prestigious encounter, there are also going to be 15, 16,000 people at the stadium. On the other hand, we could have come up against a team on an equal footing to us and maybe had a better chance of qualifying. In tomorrow’s game we will try our best and see what happens.”
The former Italian international only joined Birkirkara in June, but already feels part of the furniture and hopes to return the favour with West Ham in town.
He continued: “From day one I was considered one of them. They helped me settle in and I feel really settled now. My aim is to try and help them with my experience and do whatever it takes to help them grow in whatever way I can.”
*Kick-off on Thursday is at 8.45pm CET (7.45pm BST) and the game will be screened live on Premier Sports. You can also follow live text coverage on whufc.com's Match Centre and on Twitter > @whufc_official.
The 36-year-old Italian counts Juventus, Fiorentina and Palermo among his former employers and is determined to use the nous acquired in some two decades in the game’s upper echelons to give his new employers a helping hand.
While Miccoli is naturally excited by the prospect of a high-profile tie at Malta’s Ta’ Qali national stadium on Thursday, he concedes the second qualifying round draw could have been a whole lot kinder.
“It goes without saying that we are fully aware of what we’re up against, it was clear from the first leg,” he said. "But we also have our own weapons and we will try to use them. As long as we give everything we can on the pitch, nobody can ask any more of us.
“I believe that Maltese football is on the up, not only with Birkirkara, but also with other Maltese teams in Europe lately, there seems to be an upward trend. We were both fortunate and unfortunate to come up against West Ham.
“Fortunate in that it’s a prestigious encounter, there are also going to be 15, 16,000 people at the stadium. On the other hand, we could have come up against a team on an equal footing to us and maybe had a better chance of qualifying. In tomorrow’s game we will try our best and see what happens.”
The former Italian international only joined Birkirkara in June, but already feels part of the furniture and hopes to return the favour with West Ham in town.
He continued: “From day one I was considered one of them. They helped me settle in and I feel really settled now. My aim is to try and help them with my experience and do whatever it takes to help them grow in whatever way I can.”
*Kick-off on Thursday is at 8.45pm CET (7.45pm BST) and the game will be screened live on Premier Sports. You can also follow live text coverage on whufc.com's Match Centre and on Twitter > @whufc_official.