by Malta’s league winners Birkirkara FC will return to the UEFA Women’s Champions League in Group 11 where they face ZFK Breznica on the sixth of September. Winning the tie would lead them to a final against FC Zurich which will be played on the ninth of September.
Details on the Draw
The side will play in a single-venue knockout mini-tournament. Winning the semi-final against FC Breznica would secure a place in the final that will be played on Saturday 9th September, where they will meet Swiss champions FC Zurich. The winners of the final will progress to round two of the qualification.
FC Breznica are the Montenegrin champions, who have secured a place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League following winning yet another league title. They are similar serial winners to Birkirkara FC, having dominated titles since 2016, and were also undefeated in the league this year. Last year they were hosts of the qualification round for their tournament and were defeated in by Spartak Mkjava in the semi-final of round one.
Meanwhile, the potential final opponents, FC Zurich, are one of the oldest in the Swiss national league. They are no strangers to the UEFA Champions League and previously met Birkirkara in the 2017/18 edition. Having made the group stage last year, they were pitted against three heavyweights in Arsenal, Lyon and Juventus, and will no doubt want to qualify and fight for a chance to do better.
Striving For More
Last season the Stripes registered their maiden win in the competition, beating Irish professional side Glentoran FC, by 2-1, in a third-place playoff. The win was particularly dramatic as the side recovered from being a goal down in the first quarter of an hour (scored by Kelly Bailie), thanks to goals by Raina Giusti and Charlene Zammit, to sweep the victory in the second half. This year they will no doubt hope to take a step further and win their semi-final, for a chance to contend the final against FC Zurich.
Photo: Chiara Faedo
