The Runner’s up in the Maltese league visit us on Thursday

Balzan FC were formed in 1937 under the then name of Balzan Youth. They are based in the town of Balzan, which has a population of around 4000. Their website describes them as the „small club with a big heart”, but it would be a mistake to underestimate them, with this being the third year in a row that they are competing in the Europa League qualifiers.

Our opponents were first promoted to the Maltese first division in season 2002/2003. However, they were relegated in their first season. They bounced back and have been first division members for the last seven years running. This period has also seen them achieve some success, which includes finishing in second place in season 2016/2017.

The town of Balzan lies in the centre of Malta, together with Attard and Lija, which are referred to as the three settlements. The name of the town comes from Maltese family name (Balsan). The team plays their home matches at the Ta' Qali national stadium, which has a capacity of 17,797. That means that the inhabitants of Balzan can fit into that stadium around four and a half times. The second leg will not be played at that stadium, but at the Hibernians Stadium, which can hold 4000 for European games.

The Balzan FC squad is valued at around the 3 million euro mark. They have three Maltese international players in their team. The most experienced player is 31 year old Ryan Fenech, who has made 43 international appearances for his country. He was a substitute when Hungary played Malta in a qualifier back in 2009, which Hungary won 3-0. Current player Roland Juhasz played in that match. Paul Fenech and Alfred Effiong are also international players, although they did not play earlier against Hungary.

FC Balzan have 9 foreign players in their squad: three Brazilians, two from Montenegro and a Serbian, Tunisian, Italian and Columbian.