Following a heart-breaking 95th minute defeat in the first leg, Hamrun Spartans entertain PFC Levski Sofia of Bulgaria in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round at the Vivacom Arena – Stadion Georgi Asparuhov in Sofia on Thursday, kick-off at 20:00.
It will definitely be a difficult game for the Spartans, knowing that they need to beat Levski in order to proceed to the play-off round where the winner would face the loser of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round clash between AEK Larnaca FC of Cyprus and FK Partizan of Serbia.
During the weekend, Levski registered their second win in the Bulgarian First League as they defeated Pirin Blagoevgrad 1-0. They are currently eighth in the table on six points after playing just three games but they have two games in hand compared to leaders Lokomotiv Plovdiv who lead the way with 12 points from five matches.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, coach Branko Nisevic said the players are motivated to give their hundred percent in this clash.
Having nothing to lose, the Spartans are expected to go out in search of a goal which would restore equilibrium and put pressure on the hosts who would be playing in front of a sold-out stadium.
For this game, Nisevic could not count on his best formation, due to the absence of Malta international defender Steve Borg.