Fitzel wary of backlash from Ibrahimovic and co.

A commendable performance in a 1-0 defeat to the Czech Republic in a friendly last Friday has helped to enhance the feelgood factor among the Malta squad but the players and coach Dusan Fitzel are acutely aware that Sweden will be an entirely different proposition.

As perpetual underdogs, Malta have little or nothing to lose in this evening's World Cup Group One tie but not so can be said of the hosts who are under mounting pressure to get their qualifying campaign back on track.

Sweden's fading hopes of booking their place in next year's South Africa finals suffered another setback on Saturday when they went down to a 1-0 home defeat to leaders and rivals Denmark.

This upset left Sweden fourth in the group, 10 points behind the Danes and seven adrift of Hungary who currently occupy the runners-up spot. Still smarting from their loss to the Danes, Sweden must be relishing the prospect of taking on minnows Malta, knowing that a high-scoring win would help to lift their spirits.

Speaking to The Times at the Hotel Gothia Towers, the base of the Malta squad in Gothenburg, Fitzel acknowledged that his team face a monumental task to stop the Swedes tonight.

"Sweden will be aiming for a high score because goal difference could be a crucial factor in this group," the Czech said.

"It's going to a very tough game but then all internationals are difficult for us. The reality is that all the big teams fancy their chances of scoring many goals against a small nation like Malta and this certainly applies to Sweden.

"They will also be determined to make up for their upset to Denmark but we have to do our best to stop them from achieving their goal."

It is well-documented that Malta often find it very difficult to cope with the physical approach of Scandinavian teams. Fitzel has first-hand experience of this after seeing Malta concede six goals in two one-sided qualifiers against Denmark.

"Teams like Sweden normally adopt a direct approach, they often tend to play long, vertical balls in the area," Fitzel explained.

"Our players have problems dealing with this kind of game. It's a question of being alert and ready to react but for us these things don't come easily because the pace of international football is so high.

"You also have to take into account the quality of your opponents. I watched Sweden's game against Denmark and Nicklas Bendtner often tracked back to defend on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Now Bendtner is a tall player but he looked small compared to him."

Ibrahimovic threat

Mention of Ibrahimovic, acclaimed as one of the best in the world, made the next question inevitable.

How does Fitzel plan to counter the Inter striker?

"He's a great player but much will depend on his mood," he said.

"Criticism could affect him in a negative way and I've heard that he's received a lot of flak lately. On the other hand, Ibrahimovic might be fired up to silence his critics... that would spell trouble for us."

The Malta coach expects Sweden to stick with 4-4-2 but Henrik Larsson will not play after pulling out of the squad, citing family reasons.

Fitzel has not set himself a specific target here but he is keen for Malta to avoid another drubbing.

"In the last two matches against Sweden, Malta lost 7-0 and 6-0," Fitzel said.

"Our record against them is poor but I hope that we do better this time."

Shifting focus to Malta's preparations, Fitzel declared himself satisfied with the team's performance against the Czechs in Jablonec.

"To be honest, I was surprised that we managed to cope so well with the Czech Republic in the first half," he said.

"Bar a couple of set-pieces and one or two shots, they never threatened whereas we had a great opportunity to take the lead. In the second half, we made some mistakes that made it possible for them to put us under pressure.

"I made several changes and the players who came on in the second half took some time to settle. The Czechs also made several substitutions but these helped them to improve."

Fitzel hinted at a concern over the fitness of some of his players when asked about his choice of personnel for today's qualifier.

"Some got tired and suffered cramps in the final stages of the friendly," Fitzel said.

"I have to keep this in mind when selecting my team because this is a competitive match and we're only allowed to make three changes. I will choose those who are fit to last 90 minutes."

Fitzel gave nothing away about his starting line-up, insisting that he was still evaluating his options as regards to which players to deploy in two or three positions.

In Jablonec, he sprung a surprise by leaving goalkeeper Justin Haber out of the squad. His omission makes it unlikely that he will start today's match with Andrew Hogg the favourite to don the no.1 shirt.

Shaun Bajada is certain to start at left-back and Luke Dimech, the captain in the absence of Gilbert Agius, will take one of the two centre-half roles. Andrei Agius and Jonathan Caruana are in contention for the other position.

Andrei Agius's absence from the starting XI last Friday was not expected in light of his strong performance in the 3-0 defeat to Hungary in Budapest in April.

Fitzel appears to be in a quandary as he rates Dimech, Caruana and Agius very highly but he can only accommodate two in central defence.

Given Sweden's aerial prowess and emphasis on flank play, Fitzel could opt to switch Agius to right-back and deploy Alex Muscat on the right of midfield.

With Gilbert Agius out, John Hutchinson is all set to begin his second international match for Malta in the holding-midfield position after his encouraging debut against the Czechs. Jamie Pace is also in line for a first-team recall with Andrè Schembri set to play as an advanced midfielder.

The left-midfield position is still up for grabs as Fitzel was not impressed with Andrew Cohen's performance in the first half of last Friday's friendly.

The Hibs livewire remains the favourite but if Fitzel decides to the contrary, then Roderick Briffa may come into the equation.

Daniel Bogdanovic, whose display against the Czechs was described as "fantastic" by Fitzel, will lead Malta's forward line.

With Schembri poised for a midfield role, the only other striker in the squad is Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza as Michael Mifsud is ruled out by suspension.

National anthems

Maltese singer Kevin Borg, a popular entertainer in Sweden following his success in the Pop Idol contest here, will sing the national anthems before kick-off today.

Teams (probable)

Sweden: A. Isaksson, A. Johansson, O. Mellberg, D. Majstorovic, B. Safari, R. Elm, A. Svensson, K. Kallstrom, C. Wilhelmsson, Z. Ibrahimovic, M. Berg.

Malta: A. Hogg, J. Caruana, A. Agius/M. Muscat, A. Muscat, L. Dimech, S. Bajada, J. Hutchinson, A. Cohen/R. Briffa, A. Schembri, J. Pace, D. Bogdanovic.

Referee: Calum Murray (Scotland).

Kick-off: 7 p.m. (live Melita Sports).