History Beckons? Ħamrun Spartans’s Potential Path To European League Phase This Season
Despite the agony of yesterday’s last-minute defeat against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Ħamrun Spartans still have a potential pathway to the league phase of a European competition this season.
First of all, the Maltese champions still have a chance to turn things around in Tel Aviv next week.
Ħamrun enjoyed the majority of the possession in last night’s game and had more shots on goal than their Israeli opponents, so they must believe that they still have a shot.
Should they triumph, they will qualify for the Europa League play-offs, one game away from the league phase.
However, even if they get knocked out of the Europa League, they will still have a shot at redemption in the Conference League play-offs.
The loser of the Ħamrun Spartans – Maccabi Tel Aviv tie will play against the loser of the Europa League clash between Latvian champions RFS and Finnish champions KuPS.
Should they triumph, they will become the first ever Maltese club to qualify for the league (previously group) phase of a European competition.
This means they could be drawn against the likes of Roma, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Bologna, Porto, Lille, Lyon, and Real Betis.
There is still a lot of work left to be done but this season could yet be a major moment for Maltese football.
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