After enduring a loss on penalties in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, FC Flora were given a spot in the second-tier Europa League.

A 2:1 victory against Icelandic club KR Reykjavik on September 18 advanced the Estonian club to the third qualifying round, where they will face the reigning Maltese champions.

The match is set to kick off at 7.55 p.m. Estonian time on Thursday and will be broadcast live on ETV2 and ERR Sport.

Flora say they have not made many changes in their preparation ahead of the match. Forward Rauno Sappinen said the lineup would be: "Just like every week. We analyze the matches, analyze our opponents, draw our conclusions and focus on our game."

The team has also practiced its penalty-taking, however, just in case. "There's truth in being able to kick in practice - some guys strike well in training, some don't. But the most important thing is to take them (penalties - ed.) in the match, when under pressure," Sappinen said.

While last week's match against Reykjavik ended with a victory, the game brought forth some points of concern for the Estonian side.

Manager Jürgen Henn said: "[We] must improve our play with the ball compared to the last match and try to boost some confidence and bravery to our team."

The boss continued by saying that while Malta may be small, Floriana should not be underestimated: "With a relatively strong league, a strong team, they play agressively. At the same time, they can be quite technical."

Floriana's European journey so far is similar to Flora's. They lost to Romanian side CFL Cluj 0:2 in the opening qualifying round of the Champions League, and after a 1:0 victory over Northern Irish club Linfield, advanced to the third round of the Europa League.

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