The thought of locking horns with Croatia on their own territory is unlikely to trigger a wave of optimism among the players of the Maltese national squad.

It has to be said that Croatia are now widely considered as one of the toughest football nations in Europe. After their split from the former Yugoslavia, this proud country set about in earnest building a football identity they could call their own. Recognition would not come easily but Croatia were hellbent on powering their way up the hierarchy of football on the continent.

Driven by the combined talents of such exciting players like Boban, Suker, Boksic, Prosinecki and Jarni, Croatia's emergence as a football power culminated in an excellent run in the 1998 World Cup in France where they finished third.

A year later, precisely in August 1999, Croatia were to host Malta, then under the guidance of Serb Josif Ilic, for a Euro 2000 qualifier.

The match in Zagreb was originally pencilled in for March but it was postponed due to NATO air strikes on Kosovo.

Headed by their captain and 'shop steward', Carmel Busuttil, Maltese players had expressed their concern about the potential safety risks a trip to Zagreb at that particular time would pose.

UEFA eventually bowed to Maltese pressure and postponed the match. Beaten 4-1 at home, the expectation was that Malta would roll over in Croatia when the two teams met on August 21. The home team did win the match but they did not have it all their own way.

Croatia just edged Malta by the odd goal in three and were visibly relieved to have clung on to their slender lead when the referee's final whistle echoed around the Maksimir Stadium.

"Croatia away is one of those matches that I will never forget," Gilbert Agius reminisced.

The Valletta talisman and Brian Said, the Sliema Wanderers defender, are the only players in the current squad who took part in that Euro Championship qualifier.

"Croatia made a very strong start and were two up after 10 minutes of the second half," Agius said.

After Mario Stanic had given Croatia a 34th minute lead, Zvonimir Soldo made it 2-0 10 minutes after the restart but David Carabott replied for Malta on the hour mark.

"It was not easy for us to cope with the pressure but as the match grew older, we settled down and as a result, our attacking game improved.

"After Carabott pulled one back, we had a real go at them... we ended the game on the attack. Our gutsy performance that night drew the appreciation of the Croatian fans who jeered their team and applauded us as we walked off the pitch. It was a very pleasant experience."

Malta will be hoping for a repeat of their showing in the summer of 1999 when they set foot on the same pitch of the Maksimir Stadium tomorrow.

This time around, the match is part of the qualifying series for next year's World Cup in Germany.

"Every game at international level is special, particularly for a small nation like ours," Agius said.

"In all qualifying groups, we are always considered as underdogs. This game in Croatia will be another taxing test for us but being in such situation is certainly not a novelty for us. They are one of the best teams in Europe but we will do everything we can to cut a good figure."

Apart from the goalless draw against Iceland in October, Malta had scant reason to be cheerful so far in this campaign as the other three outings produced comprehensive defeats.

Bar the opening 7-0 demise to Sweden, Agius believes that the team's level of performance so far has been satisfactory.

"Our campaign has not been as negative as it might appear," Agius said. "Putting aside that 7-0 upset to Sweden when our coaches were still in the process of trying out new tactical modules and players, our performances in the other matches showed significant improvement. We held Iceland to a draw, had a very good first half away to Bulgaria and produced another solid display against Hungary despite losing 2-0.

"We should take heart from these performances as we prepare to face Croatia."

March is considered a good month for Malta to tackle international commitments as the level of sharpness and fitness ought to be at its highest due to the competitiveness of domestic matches in these final stages of the season.

Agius, 31, has mixed feelings about the timing of the qualifier.

"In March, players start getting a bit tired due to the increased number of difficult matches we normally have during this time of the season," Agius said.

"That said, I would rather have an away qualifier in March than at the start of the season."

With regards to the general fitness of the Maltese, Agius does not see any problems.

"Our fitness is good and we have been preparing well for this match. However, football is all about how you perform in those 90 minutes," he said.

Positive season

It can only be positive for Malta that Agius feels that he has rediscovered his best form this season.

"At Valletta, we are virtually a new team and staying in the leading positions despite the negative forecasts, can only be deemed as an achievement," he said.

"On a personal note, I think this has been one of my best seasons."

Agius's role for Valletta differs from that in the national team. With his club, he is the target man in attack but for Malta, he has been used as the team's anchor man in front of the back four.

Although Agius sees himself as an attacking player, he has no problems performing defensive duties for the national team.

"I'm more experienced now and more confident in my abilities when playing for Malta," he said.

"Horst Heese and Carmel Busuttil told me after the Sweden match that they were thinking of changing my position. They concluded that I would contribute more to the team if I played in front of the defence.

"This was a new role for me but I was not surprised by their thinking because I know that they expect a lot from me.

"Personally, I feel I have acquainted well in this position and as long as the coach is happy with my performances, I have no problems about continuing to play as a defensive midfielder."

Flashback... August 21, 1999

EURO 2000 - Group Eight qualifying match

Croatia 2
Malta 1

Croatia: M. Mrmic, I. Biscan, M. Rapaic, Z. Soldo, I. Stimac, D. Simic, A. Asanovic, M. Stanic (G. Vlaovic), D. Suker, Z. Boban (D. Saric), J. Simic (A. Boksic).

Malta: E. Barry, B. Said, D. Carabott, S. Vella, D. Debono, D. Camilleri, C. Busuttil (D. Okonkwo), N. Saliba, C. Nwoko (A. Mifsud), J. Brincat, G. Agius (S. Sultana).

Referee: Atanas Ouzunov (Bulgaria).

Scorers: Stanic (C) 34, Soldo (C) 55; Carabott (M) 60.