Malta rugby coach Damien Neill is having to deal with a growing list of injured players ahead of Saturday’s crucial FIRA/AER Division 2A qualifier against Croatia at the Hibs Stadium (kick-off: 2 p.m.).

Back-to-back defeats against Lithuania (6-9) and Latvia (26-33) have left the national team rock bottom in the standings and Malta badly needs to win their upcoming fixtures against Croatia (Saturday) and current leaders Sweden (away on May 7) to revive their hopes of retaining their place in the group.

Neill has selected a group of 28 players for the two impending qualifiers but his resources have already been severely hit following mishaps to Kyle Mason (ankle), Mark Davey (shoulder), Rob Holloway (hip) and Vince Stivala (foot).

“Our preparations for Saturday’s match against Croatia have been hampered by a series of injuries to some of our key players,” Neill told a news conference in Corradino yesterday.

“Our medical staff has already started working overtime to try and recover as many of these players as possible for Saturday’s match. To play a strong team like Croatia you always need your best team so we’re doing our utmost to get our injured players back to full fitness.”

The national team started their preparations for the upcoming double-rubber for almost a fortnight now.

Among the new players in the squad are Darren Deguara, of English club Barry RFC, James Kirk (Hull RFC), Dragan Cerketa (Stompers) and Chris Vassallo who plies his trade for new Malta champions Kavallieri.

“I’m pleased with this group of players,” Neill said.

“We have a good blend of young and experienced players who can merge into a very strong outfit. The players are aware that they need to be at the top of their game if we are to beat Croatia but the confidence is high at the moment and we are all looking forward to this qualifier.”

International matches at the Hibs Stadium have always attracted bumper crowds in the past few years and the MRFU are again banking on the passionate support of the local fans to inspire the team to victory.

“Our home support is tre-mendous and we’re expecting the rugby fans to again rally behind our team for Saturday’s match,” Martin Galea, the MRFU president, said.

“The backing from the stands is vital and so is the financial income from gate-money.

“In fact, international weekends cost us around €40,000 so it’s important for us to promote this match and attract more people to the Hibs Stadium on Saturday.

“The Maltese fans have been very loyal to our national team so far and on Saturday we’re again banking on their support.”

The squad: O. Sacco, J. Howland, D. Busuttil, C. Sammut, T. Holloway, R. Holloway, A. Livesey, J. O’Brien, D. Holliday, M. Davey, A. Dixon, H. Collins, K. Mason, N. Gatt, C. Cassar, J. Kirk, D. Deguara, M. Camilleri, L. Watts, I. Borda, S. Borg, P. Calgaro, M. Galea, D. Cerketa, V. Stivala, C. Vassallo, J. Zahra, T. Pace Moore.

Results so far: Croatia vs Sweden 13-32; Lithuania vs Malta 9-6; Latvia vs Croatia 12-14; Malta vs Latvia 26-33; Sweden vs Lithuania 26-22.

Standings: Sweden (2-0-0) 9; Latvia (1-0-1) 6; Lithuania (1-0-1) 5; Croatia (1-0-1) 4; Malta (0-0-2) 3.

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