Updated - Malta will be facing "one of the strongest teams in Europe" when they take on Croatia in their opening Euro 2016 Group H qualifier tomorrow evening at the Maksimir Stadium (kick-off 20.45).

"Croatia are very strong," Malta coach Pietro Ghedin told reporters during a news conference this morning.

"Croatia played in the World Cup. They are 20th in the world rankings and for us, it will be very difficult to play against them but we will try to give our best."

The atmosphere within the Maltese squad is upbeat after the team's disciplined performance in the 1-0 defeat to Slovakia in a friendly match.

Ghedin is expected to pick the same team that started Thursday's game but he needs to check on the condition of some players who are carrying knocks.

While the showing against Slovakia will have lifted Maltese spirits, tomorrow's match will be an entirely different proposition as it is Croatia's first competitive match since the World Cup.

The Croatians, led by coach Niko Kovac, know that anything less than a convincing win against the Group H minnows, is likely to trigger a barrage of criticism as the local media were less than impressed with the team's showing at the World Cup.
Croatia failed to make it through to the knock-out round in Brazil after finishing third in Group A.

Meanwhile, midfielder Rowen Muscat, who this summer joined Hungarian side Dunaujvaros, is confident that Malta will give a good account of themselves in tomorrow's qualifier.

"We know that we're going to play against a very strong team but we're confident and well-prepared for the match," Muscat said.

"In the friendly against Slovakia, we put in a good performance. We managed to build up the play from the back. We have brushed up some things in training over the past few days and also tried some new moves. I'm confident that we can produce a positive display here."

While tomorrow’s match marks the start of another qualifying campaign for Croatia and Malta, the two countries have already met six times since the former gained independence in the early 1990s.

The last direct clash took place three years ago with Croatia beating Malta 3-1 at the National Stadium.

In the away game, played on November 17, 2010, Niko Krancjar had struck a brace and Nikola Kalinic found the net after coming on as a substitute to hand Croatia a 3-0 win.

Four years is a long time in football but the key players who represented the country then are also expected to be among the first names on Pietro Ghedin’s starting XI tomorrow.

That is not to say that there weren’t any changes as far as Malta are concerned since their last trip to Zagreb.

The man at the helm is not the same as Ghedin replaced John Buttigieg in 2012.

Of the 11 players who started that Euro 2012 qualifier four years ago, four are widely expected to line up against Croatia tomorrow.

The thoroughbreds

Andrew Hogg – The Kalloni goalkeeper is set to start in goal just as he did four years ago. Hogg, 29, produced an assured display in Thursday’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Slovakia in Zilina.

Michael Mifsud – The veteran captain, who has 105 caps, is again expected to lead the team at the Dinamo Zagreb ground.

Mifsud, Malta’s all-time leading scorer with 39 goals, was also in Ghedin’s initial formation for last week’s friendly.

André Schembri – The gifted forward has long established himself as a first-choice player for Malta.

As four years ago, Schembri, now on the books of German club FSV Frankfurt, is poised to play alongside or just behind Mifsud in attack.

Jonathan Caruana – The Valletta defender is the only surviving member from the four-man rearguard that faced Croatia in November, 2010.

Caruana again produced a reliable performance as part of Malta’s reshaped back three against Slovakia where he was flanked by Ryan Camilleri and Andrei Agius.

The wounded

Roderick Briffa – The experienced midfielder is an automatic choice for Malta but injury has ruled him out of tomorrow’s qualifier.

Briffa had been in Buttigieg’s selection for the 2010 qualifier away at Croatia.

Gareth Sciberras – Another of Ghedin’s first-choice midfielders who has fallen victim to injury.

The Birkirkara captain has been a regular for the country for much of the past five years.

Fading stars

John Hutchinson – The Australia-born midfielder was also a starter four years ago but he has never featured for Malta under Ghedin.

Hutchinson, 34, had nailed down a regular place under Dusan Fitzel and Butti-gieg, making a total of 11 appearances, but his time is up.

Daniel Bogdanovic – Once regarded as one of the most skilful players in the national team, Daniel Bogdanovic has fallen out of favour with Ghedin.

While injury problems have undermined Bogdanovic’s chances of returning to the national team’s fold, his failure to settle at a club in the last two years has clearly not helped his cause.

Jamie Pace – Deployed in his usual position in front of midfield in the Croatia qualifier four years ago, Pace, 37, is past his prime. His career has taken a downward slide since he left Valletta in 2013.

Massimo Grima – Fitness issues have overshadowed the career of Massimo Grima who was widely considered as one of the most talented players in Maltese football.

Grima had been handed a chance to revive his international career by Buttigieg who deployed him in defence against Croatia in 2010 but the much-travelled defender has never really made the expected impact at international level.

He is currently suspended by the Malta FA over match-fixing allegations.

On the fringe

Shaun Bajada – The versatile midfielder is still very much in the reckoning but has been left out of Ghedin’s final 20-man squad for this trip to eastern Europe.

Bajada remains a key player for champions Valletta but has been used only sparingly by Ghedin.

The next generation

A positive feature of Ghedin’s selection is the inclusion of five U-21 players – Bjorn Kristensen, Zach Muscat, Ryan Scicluna, Jean Paul Farrugia and Steve Pisani.

None of them is likely to start as Ghedin will most probably keep faith with the team he fielded for the Slovakia friendly.

Yet, one or two members of the next generation could enter the fray as substitutes after Kristensen, Muscat and Scicluna all came in on the second half of last Thursday’s warm-up match.

Croatia

Tomorrow, Croatia will be playing their first competitive match since their group-stage exit at the World Cup in Brazil.

A host of experienced players, including veteran goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa, midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic and Brazil-born striker Eduardo, retired from international football after Croatia finished third in Group A behind Brazil and Mexico.

After the team’s return from the World Cup, coach Niko Kovac declared his willingness to blood more young players into his squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Two of the country’s most promising players, 18-year-old midfielder Alen Halilovic, who plays for Barcelona’s B team, and Andrej Kramaric, the 23-year-old Rijeka striker, are in contention for a first-team place against Malta after earning praise from Kovac for their performance in the 2-0 victory over Cyprus in last week’s international friendly.

Nevertheless, Kovac is unlikely to pick an inexperienced team as the likes of captain Darijo Srna, Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, now with Barcelona, and Vedran Corluka are all expected to start.