Levski Sofia is due to arrive in Spain at 1pm Bulgarian time on September 16 for the UEFA Europa League group stage clash with local side Villarreal. The Bulgarians are set to have their first official training session tonight at 8pm, which will be preceded by a press conference.

The squad for the European encounter consists of Georgi Petkov, Victor Ganev, Zhivko Milanov, Yossef Rabeh, Hristo Yovov, Elin Topouzakov, Vesselin Minev, Chakib Benzoukane, Marian Ognyanov, Deniran Ortega, Joaozinho, Darko Tassevski, Nikolai Dimitrov, Lucio Wagner, Cedric Bardon, Luchezar Baltanov, Yordan Miliev, Sasha Simonovic, Georgi Hristov, Tsvetan Dimitrov and Boyan Tabakov.

Ze Soares and Georgi Surmov are both sanctioned and cannot participate in the encounter, so have remained in Sofia.

"We are heading for Spain in good spirits, and I hope we will be returning to Bulgaria in the same fashion," said Georgi Ivanov, the team's sports director in an interview for Focus News.

"There is no need for us to be making any predictions or give any promises, the players know fully well what they are going to Villarreal for and what is expected of them," he said.

"They have to show 100 per cent determination and should aim to extract a positive result from the match. We need to bounce back from our heavy league defeat against Lokomotiv Sofia, and we are determined to prove our critics wrong, who have predicted a catastrophic defeat in Spain," he said.

Meanwhile, Levski Sofia defender Zhivko Milanov, still nursing an injury, said that he was "fit enough to play for 30 minutes".

"I am still in pain but I have nearly recuperated fully and I have almost reached full fitness, and I can play for 30 minutes. Villarreal are very tough opponents," he said.

However, Milanov failed to explain how he can be fully fit if still in pain and why if, indeed fully fit, he would only be able to play for 30 minutes.