Pietro Ghedin’s national team are stepping up their build-up for a dual World Cup home assignment against Denmark, on Friday, and Bulgaria, four days later.

With Luke Dimech and Alex Muscat suspended and Jonathan Caruana not 100 per cent fit, coach Ghedin has a dearth of experienced defenders.

The Italian is believed to be assessing a number of potential candidates for right-back, a position Muscat has made his own in this qualifying campaign.

In the 3-0 defeat to Azerbaijan in a friendly last month, Ghedin deployed Sliema midfielder Mark Scerri on the right flank.

Scerri was replaced by Wanderers team-mate Jacob Borg in the second half.

On the positive side, Andrei Agius, now playing for Serie C2 club Sassari Torres, is eligible for the national team in the next qualifier despite his sending-off in the Baku friendly match.

Agius, keeper Andrew Hogg, now on the books of Greece’s Kalloni, and AC Omonia forward Andrè Schembri, the three foreign-based players in Ghedin’s squad, were to report for international duty yesterday.

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