After suffering narrow defeats to Jagiellonia and Lausanne-Sport, Hamrun Spartans play their third match from the league phase of the UEFA Conference League at the Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadyumu in the Tekkeköy District in Samsun, Turkiye, kick-off at 18:45. 

This will be Samsunspor’s first league phase adventure after bowing out of the UEFA Europa League to Panathinaikos with a 1-2 aggregate score in their maiden matches in European football although they did take part in the now-defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup in the nineties. 

In the first two matches in the league stage, they defeated Legia Warsaw 1-0 away from home and Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 at home.

In fact, Samsunspor are one of the joint-leaders in the UEFA Conference League along with Fiorentina, AEK Larnaca, Celje, Lausanne-Sport and Mainz with maximum points from two matches while Hamrun are chasing their first point along with Slovan Bratislava, Shamrock Rovers, Dynamo Kyiv, SK Rapid and Aberdeen.

Samsunspor Kulübü are based in the city of Samsun, on the southern coast of the Black Sea. The club competes in the Süper Lig in Turkiye.

Established as the football branch of Samsunspor Sports Club, the team attained professional status on 30 June 1965. They are the most successful football club from the province of Samsun and rank eleventh in the all-time Süper Lig table by points and holds the record for the most championships won in the TFF First League, the country’s second tier. The club has been promoted to the Süper Lig on seven occasions and relegated the same number of times, holding a record in both categories.

Their best placing in the Süper Lig is the third place, obtained in 1985/86, 1986/87 and 2024/25. They are currently fourth in the Süper Lig with 20 points from 11 matches, nine behind leaders Galatasaray, five behind Fenerbahce and four behind Trabzonspor.

Meanwhile the Spartans finished the league phase commitments of the YoHealth Malta Premier Opening Round in joint-second place with Valletta, one point behind leaders Floriana.