by Breznica Pljevlja will meet Birkirkara in tonight’s knockout encounter as the teams bid to secure a place in Saturday’s final against FC Zurich. Get ready by reading our match preview, including words from Breznica Pljevlja’s president Zoran Vukovic and Birkirkara’s coach Jose’ Borg.
Team’s Build Up To The Match
The two teams have appeared in the competition for consecutive years, with Breznica coming in as the seeded team and thus the favourite based on ranking. However, Birkirkara come into the match having won their first fixture last year and with the home crowd on their side.
The Sporting Fan asked Breznica Pljevlja’s President Zoran Vukovic about the team’s welcome in Malta. He said, “We came to Malta on Monday and it’s been amazing so far. The countryside, picturesque places, friendly and warm people. Everything so far has really been to our satisfaction.”
Additionally, questioned about the mood of the team ahead of the encounter, he spoke positively saying, “We came to Malta elated. The atmosphere is phenomenal and we work together as one team! We haven’t had a better team of young players for a long time.”
Meanwhile, asked a similar question about the dressing room environment ahead of the match, Birkirkara’s coach Jose’ Borg, said, “We are excited, I am happy with the mood. The buildup has been good from the first day of pre-season and the players are in the right frame of mind to face Breznica.”
Expect It To Be Fast
Those following Breznica will have seen that they are a side who bring plenty of pace and are also not afraid to attack. Questioned about the team’s approach Vukovic said, “Yes, we do play fast, our team is young and we are going offensively because this is our strength.”
On the other hand, questioned about whether Birkirkara are ready to face the physical challenge brought by Breznica, Jose Borg said, “Physicality in football has increased in both men and women’s football, even in local football. We have a strength & conditioning coach so we started building as from last year and this year we continued to strengthen. We do this physical preparation not specific to this match, but because we believe this is what you need to do to play at the best level and to also avoid injuries.”
Borg also expressed his confidence that the team can rise to the challenge brought by the Montenegrin champions, continuing, “Specific to Breznica, we are aware they have speed in front and also in defence. I have faith in our defence and I believe we can match their speed on the pitch at the back, but also believe our strikers can beat their speed when going forward.”
Teams’ Expectations
Needless to say both teams would like to win the match to earn the chance to compete against Zurich on Saturday. Asked about Breznica’s aims going into the match, Breznica’s Vukovic highlighted the pride in representing the country, but also noted the struggles involved in getting to this point. He said, “As a club which comes from a small country, where we do not have the support of our national alliance, our goal is to prove that we can respectfully present our club, our hometown Pljevlja, as well as Montenegro.” As reported by the club’s social media, the team has had limited outside support in securing the necessary resources to compete.
Speaking to Sport DC, Breznica’s coach Miljan Anicic was respectful of Birkirkara’s strengths and domination in Malta, but noted that his team will take to the pitch with the determination to win nonetheless.
Asked about Birkirkara’s aims for the match, Birkirkara’s Jose Borg said, “We want to win games, it helps to improve seedings allowing us to have more favourable draws in the first round in the future, which would allow us to do even better. We are similar to Breznica in ranking this year even though they come in as the seeded team, so I see it as a balanced chance of winning the game.”
Borg also noted that winning the match would already secure a piece of history for the Maltese team due to the group’s three-team structure. Borg said, “It’s going to be different ball game since there are only three teams. So if we win this match, it would mean that we already will at least finish in second place, which will be the best result for a Maltese team. However, we want to aim high. Our ultimate aim will be to win this match and then try to do our best to get a result even against Zurich.”
Showing Your Support
The match will kick-off tonight at 6 pm at the Centenary Stadium. The match organisation featured online ticketing for the first time in a women’s game. Noting this, Birkirkara’s Jose Borg said, “Online tickets are a first for this match and I am aware that we have already sold a number of tickets. It is another first for women’s football and I congratulate the Birkirkara committee for being the first to introduce this.”
Questioned about the importance of a supportive but also respectful crowd, Jose Borg said, “The crowd is important. I know that we lack crowds in Malta in general, even in men’s. The men’s team had around 800 spectators against Maribor, so we are certainly not expecting a crowd bigger than that. It would be great to have a crowd as big as we had against Manchester United (reaching 1,000), but of course we also understand that some families perhaps will avoid coming due to the safety reasons because of the weather. Perhaps instead of looking for the big numbers what’s important for my players to play in front of the people that matter and who truly support them, families and friends. We will also have the Ultras from Birkirkara who will be showing their support as well.”
Spectators are encouraged to voice their support for their team, but to also show respect towards both teams, coaching staff and the officials. The throwing of any items on the pitch could harm those on the pitch and is strictly prohibited. It will result in fines for all involved.
The match starts at 6 pm at the Centenary Stadium. Tickets may still be purchased online or at the door. Prices are 5 Euro. Seniors and those under twelve years old are discounted at 3 Euro.
It will be followed by the Assikura Women’s Youth League encounter between Hibernians and SKMM, beginning at 20:30. The Malta men’s national team will also be playing a friendly against Gibraltar at the Ta Qali National stadium at 20:00.
Lead Images: FK Breznica Pljevlja / Birkirkara FC
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