Malta U-19 start with match against Denmark on Thursday
France in danger of elimination after third-place finish
The Malta youth football squad will be leaving the island this morning on their way to Germany where most of the Group Four U-19 UEFA Championship mini-tournament matches will be played.
Besides Malta, the qualifying group also includes Germany, Denmark and Luxembourg, who will play two of their matches at home.
Malta play their first match on Thursday in Rehlingen, against Denmark. Germany will be Malta's next opponents on Saturday in Dillingen. They will then cross the border to Mondercagne where coaches Mark Miller and John Bonello will lead the boys against hosts Luxembourg on Monday.
The contingent returns home on October 21.
The UEFA U-19 Championship features the participation of 48 teams in the first round, divided into 12 four-team groups.
The winners and runners-up in each group, as well as the best third-placed team will qualify for the second round.
Here, teams will be divided into seven groups of four alongside the three top seeds - Spain, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The winners of the seven second round groups will then qualify for the finals, joining automatic qualifiers and hosts Switzerland.
Meanwhile, with a third of the first round mini-tournaments already completed there has already been plenty of drama.
Eight sides have booked their place in the second round so far.
Ireland and Lithuania were the first through after a keenly contested Group Six.
They were soon followed by England and Russia from Group Eight, Portugal and Belarus from Group Seven and Armenia and Ukraine from Group 11.
At the moment the best third-placed team is France who, in the upset of the competition so far, could only finish third in Group 11, played in Armenia.
However, with a further eight mini-tournaments still to be played between now and November 8, Les Bleus' hopes of progressing remain in peril.
Malta squad
Goalkeepers: A. Hogg (Bari), B. Paris (Birkirkara).
Defenders: S. Borda (Hibs), J. Caruana (Hibs), C. Sammut (Pietà), K. Spiteri (Hibs), J. Zammit (Sliema).
Midfielders: M. Abdilla (Pietà), M. Bartolo (Hibs), C. Frendo (Pietà), P. Fenech (Naxxar), A. Schembri (Hibs), A. Spiteri (Pietà), R. Zammit (Pietà).
Forwards: T. Caruana (St Patrick), R. Darmanin (Floriana), R. Deguara (Mosta), C. Failla (St Patrick), D. Falzon (Mosta), R. Grech (Sliema).