Marsaxlokk will be aiming at obtaining a positive result as they host FC Pyunik Yerevan of Armenia in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round at the Centenary Stadium on Thursday, kick-off at 19:00.
This will be the sixth participation in UEFA club competitions for Marsaxlokk and the main objective will be that of qualifying for a second round of a UEFA competition for the first time in the club’s history.
After making it to the Finalissima of the Malta Premier, losing 1-2 to Floriana to take the runner-up spot, Marsaxlokk are set to face Pyunik who, however, have far more experience in European football.
This summer, the Southseasiders, led once again by coach Enzo Potenza, signed goalkeeper Andrea Cassar, central defender Oleksiy Bykov, midfielder Lucas Caruana and forward Matheus Silva this summer.
They confirmed Christoffer Mafoumbi, Joseph Minala, Leandro Aguirre, Dodo, Domantas Simkus, Rasmus Linden, Isaac Christie-Davies, Redon Mihana and Ulises Arias. On the other hand, goalkeeper Matthew Calleja Cremona decided to hang his boots, Jake Ghio and Nevin Portelli moved elsewhere while James Kirby was not retained.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Potenza said “We’re certainly facing a top-level team, a team with significant experience in European competitions. However, we’ve been working through this period together with the club, trying to structure it with the utmost professionalism.”
“The training camp allowed us to sleep soundly at night. Let’s say it was a bit of a challenge here in Malta, given the high temperatures, but other than that, I think the guys did a great job in this session. They took very little vacation and left immediately to try to give us something important on our European journey. Obviously, we know that difficulties exist, as they do in every match, so it’s not like anyone will change. We need to try to keep our nerves steady because tomorrow only the first ‘half’ is played.”
“I always play like this, more than anything, more than my confidence, it’s the guys who instill this in me. Because they’re guys with great personalities, they also work with great dedication, and these are elements that give a coach a significant boost of confidence to face any game. Then there are 90-180 minutes between us and the opponent, there’s a pitch, there are the match officials … we’ll play our own game, we’ll try to play our own game as we’ve always done and as we’ve built over these two years as a team.”
With regard to the new signings, the Marsaxlokk coach said “There are Matheus Silva, Lucas Caruana, Oleksiy Bykov, Andrea Cassa … Lucas Caruana, and Andrea Cassar need no introduction. I believe Lucas Caruana could be an important player for the future for Maltese football, not just for Marsaxlokk. It’s natural that the boy needs to work as hard as he has done in the 15-20 days I’ve known him, and I can say I’ve met a great professional. The future is on his side, but things have to be achieved day by day, and we can’t think that just because the rules allow three Maltese players on the pitch, he can rest easy. Or, conversely, if the three-man Maltese rule were to disappear, he could just sit back. If you want to become a top-level footballer, you have to be hungry and fight every day because no one gives you anything for free.”
Potenza should have the full squad at his disposal on Friday. “Luckily, we completed this summer process without any injuries, both in the first three weeks in Malta and the last ten days in Slovakia. Luckily, everything is fine. The atmosphere in the dressing room is fantastic.”
Football Club Pyunik were founded in 1992. They are the most successful team of Armenia, having won 34 league titles. They also won the Armenian Cup a record eight times and the Armenian Super Cup a record ten times.
Last season, Pyunik finished third in the Armenian Premier League, five points behind champions Ararat and one behind runners-up FC Noah.
Their best achievement in European football was in 2022/23 when they reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League after entering the UEFA Champions League and losing the UEFA Europa League play-off to Sheriff Tiraspol on penalties.
The return match will be played at the ‘Vazgen Sargsyan’ Republican Stadium in Yerevan on July 16, kick-off at 18:00.
Should Marsaxlokk reach the second qualifying round, they would be facing Debreceni VSC of Hungary with the first leg being played away from home.