Luxol St Andrews meet Valletta in Futsal Super Cup clash

The curtain-raiser of another futsal season is here with action rolling off this Friday with the Super Cup clash between Luxol St Andrews Futsal, winners of a league and cup double last season, and rivals Valletta Futsal. The Super Cup, kicking off at 20.45 at the National School of Sports in Pembroke, is the first in a series of encounters between Luxol and Valletta who will meet again on the opening day of the four-team Elite League on Wednesday. Swieqi United and University of Malta complete the top-tier championship which will be spread over four rounds. For Luxol, the Super Cup and the start of the championship should help to pep up their match fitness ahead of their commitments in the Main Round of the UEFA Futsal Champions League in Prague in mid-October after the Maltese champions convincingly won their preliminary round group in Norway last month. Luxol coach Gabriel Dobre acknowledged that the upcoming European challenge is on his players’ minds but stressed that they will never underestimate their domestic rivals, adding that the team’s focus this week is on the Super Cup. “We know there is a trophy to be won on Friday. Therefore, that’s our priority as we have a responsibility towards this futsal club and our supporters to extend this winning streak,” Dobre told www.mfa.com.mt. “Valletta have a new-look squad. I know most of their players and although they didn’t have much time to work together, I’m sure they will be difficult opponents as they have put together a strong team.” Dobre is aware that he needs to make changes from the Futsal Champions League matches played last month as the rules for domestic competitions only allow four foreigners in the matchday squad. “Until last week, we had been preparing mostly for our European matches but this week we switched our focus to the Super Cup and Valletta. We have also adjusted our training sessions, doing our utmost to help the local players adapt, get in shape physically and be ready for the challenge coming up this Friday,” Dobre said. For their part, Valletta Futsal have revamped their set-up over the summer months but they are going into the new season with a positive mindset. New coach Carlo Scicluna has faith in the strength of his squad. He is adamant that his team will give their all in their Super Cup match against the champions. “It’s a massive task for both teams,” Scicluna said. “Luxol’s potential is known to all and we had less time to prepare. Nevertheless, we will not let anything undermine our positive attitude… we will be going all out to start the new season on a good note by gaining a positive result. “We did encounter some difficulties over the past weeks but with the determination of our committee, we are here and ready for this game. Being realistic, Luxol are in a better condition but we know what our strengths are, we need to raise our standards, hit the ground running and believe in our abilities.” ELITE LEAGUE FORMAT Speaking about the format of the Elite League, both Dobre and Scicluna agreed that a championship between the four leading sides should be more competitive and of a higher level as every match will be like a final.