We will give French a hard time, says Miller

Mark Miller has called on his players to produce a bold reaction to last Saturday's debacle in Bosnia when they entertain France in a UEFA U-21 Championship qualifier at the National Stadium this evening.

Saturday's 4-0 defeat in Zenica left a bitter taste among the Maltese clan but coach Miller is backing his players to bounce back from that setback with a determined performance against the highly-rated French side.

"The result against Bosnia was too harsh on us," Miller told The Times. "Our performance in Zenica was quite good but schoolboy errors in defence cost us dearly as we ended up conceding four goals."

"There is no doubt that against France we will have to step up our game by a few notches," Miller added. "The French have a star-studded team and they are ranked among the best in Europe. However, we have every intention of proving that we are a far better side than the result against Bosnia showed.

"The players are determined to put up a better performance and I can assure everyone that France will have to fight for every pinch of grass if they are to get the three points. We will give them a hard time."

The Malta coach has retained the same squad that travelled to Bosnia last week. Wing-back Clayton Failla is ruled out through suspension while Steve Bezzina, Chris Caruana and Matthew Bartolo are nursing injuries.

"Failla is a huge loss for us," Miller said. "In Bosnia he was our best player, a great leader in defence. Unfortunately, since the match against Finland in February, I have not been able to field my strongest defence, because of injuries or suspensions.

"However, the signs are positive. The players have trained really well and there seems to be a great will in the group to pull off a good result against France."

Last week, France, who boast the likes of Milan's Yoann Gourcuff, Tottenham defender Younis Kaboul and Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia in their ranks, obtained their first victory in Group 10 when beating Wales 1-0 at home. In their first qualifier, France were held 1-1 at home to Romania. Malta have yet to open their account following successive defeats against Romania (1-0) and Bosnia (4-0).

Miller is hoping that a good crowd will gather at the National Stadium this evening to inspire his players to a positive result.

"Playing in front of a big crowd at home would be a big bonus for us," Miller said. "Our players are facing their toughest match and having the fans behind them will surely give them more confidence."

Malta U-21 line-up (probable): L. Woods, E. Herrera, S. Bezzina, J. Caruana, P. Fenech, E. Agius, M. Bartolo, D. Falzon, I. Zammit, R. Fenech, C. Caruana.

Referee: G. Sidenko (Moldova)

Group 10 standings: France, Romania 4 points; Bosnia 3; Wales, Malta 0.