Malta will take part in a waterpolo friendly tournament at Tal-Qroqq between October 31 and November 2, with the other participating nations being Great Britain, Holland, Israel and a Sicilian selection.

The event will be Malta’s final tune-up prior to the European Championship third Qualification Round to be played in Porto, Portugal, next month.

This will be a challenging commitment for the national team which demands not only a steely physical condition but also individual and collective skills.

The tasks ahead are even more arduous since the players will have to do battle in what is regarded as an out-of-season tournament when considering that, unlike our opponents, the Maltese peak season is in summer.

This is a misalignment which puts our team at a disadvantage.

Moreover, and in any case, Georgia, starting with 28 points, and Slovakia, with 20, the top teams in Group G, are higher-ranked than Malta, while Portugal, with 15 points and one less than Malta, will certainly try to exploit the home advantage.

The other teams in our Euro Championship group, Belarus and Switzerland, on nine and three points respectively, could very well be regarded as within our reach.

Malta coach Karl Izzo has been very busy with his squad’s preparatory schedule which has been in full swing for some time.

Late in September, a makeshift Malta team, a sort of ‘B’ selection bearing the name ‘Valletta’, took part in the first qualification round of the Champions League when competing in Group A in Naples.

The team made up of roughly half the normal units, were distinctly out of their depth against strong club opposition from Russia, Croatia, Italy, France and Holland.

The heavy adverse scorelines in the five matches must have triggered criticism from the more sceptical who contended that very little, if any, benefit was accrued from this adventure.

This was in contrast to what Izzo thought.

“The scope of participating in Naples was achieved since it was a great experience for our boys, especially the younger ones,” he told Times of Malta.

The friendly tournament should be an opportunity for Malta to present its strongest squad even if it is understood that Steve Camilleri will be absent due to his commitments with RN Bogliasco.

However, Camilleri should be available for the matches that matter most in Portugal.

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