Traditionally, Malta struggle to hold their own against Scandinavian sides but national coach Pietro Ghedin is backing his team to rise to the occasion when they meet Norway in a Euro 2016 Group H qualifier tonight at the National Stadium.
Ghedin’s optimism stems from the display in Malta’s opening 2-0 defeat to Croatia, a performance that went some way towards justifying his decision to switch from 4-2-3-1 to a 5-3-2 approach.
“I’m very upbeat,” Ghedin said.
“I feel that we are about to begin a new cycle. There is more serenity within the squad, there is more conviction in our means.
“The players have embraced our new playing system and their efforts are already bearing fruit. I can see good things. The new ideas have been well received and assimilated by the squad. This thing comforts me.
“With the young players coming through, I believe that the future of the team can be better and this is good for Maltese football.
“The youngsters in the squad are very interesting. Their progress has added competition for places. It’s good to create a healthy, sporting rivalry among the players.”
Ghedin is aware history shows that Malta struggle to cope with the direct, physical approach that is synonymous with Nordic teams.
“It’s a question of rhythm and stamina,” Ghedin said.
“Scandinavian teams have a certain type of mentality, they like to press hard and play with a lot of aggressiveness. They don’t like the Latin way where the emphasis is on ‘tik-tak’ quick passing.
“Nevertheless Norway have a strong team. They are in the top 60 in the world rankings.”
Having dissected Norway’s performance in their opening 2-0 home defeat to Italy last month, Ghedin warned that his players will be courting trouble if they don’t approach the game with the right attitude and commitment.
Ghedin said: “It will be a big test for us. If you don’t have the strength to react and hit back, you will have problems against teams like Norway.
“They run for 90 minutes and we need to do the same. If we are static even for a few minutes, we will have problems.”
Ghedin is also heartened by the players’ conduct in training over the past few days.
“We have had five days of good, solid training,” the Italian added.
“I’m very pleased with the way my players have conducted themselves during training but practice is one thing and a group qualifier is another.”
Ghedin will select his starting XI from a squad of 23 but his defensive options are restricted by the absence of Jonathan Caruana, who is recovering from groin surgery, and fellow Valletta team-mate Steve Borg who starts a three-match ban.
Sliema Wanderers’ wing-back Alex Muscat is also out after undergoing a cruciate operation.
Briffa’s return
“We have some key defenders missing,” Ghedin said.
“I emphatize with those that are absent but at the same time I have a lot of faith in the ones who are playing. They will do their best.”
Roderick Briffa, back in the frame after injury kept him out of the Croatia clash, is in line to replace Borg.
Otherwise, Ghedin is expected to keep faith with the players who started against Croatia.
Zach Muscat is certain to retain his place on the right of Malta’s defence with Andrei Agius in the centre and Ryan Camilleri on the left.
Captain Michael Mifsud is expected to keep his role as the side’s attacking spearhead.
Amid Sliema’s early-season travails, Mifsud has not been at his best but Ghedin has not lost his faith in the veteran striker, the nation’s all-time leading scorer with 39 goals.
“Michael Mifsud is working very hard,” Ghedin said.
“With his experience, he is still very useful to the team and he remains motivated to do well.”
The foreign-based players in the squad – goalkeeper Andrew Hogg, who plays for Greek club Kalloni, André Schembri, now on the books of FSV Frankfurt, Rowen Muscat, who is with Hungarian side Dunaujvaros, and young striker Jean Paul Farrugia, of Spartak Trnava – linked up with their team-mates earlier this week.
With Ghedin’s men facing heavyweights Italy on Monday, much of the attention this week has been on the second leg of this home double-header.
This has inevitably raised concerns that the hype for the Italy game may alienate the Malta players ahead of their clash with Norway, in the process triggering fears of a repeat of the Sofia debacle.
Malta suffered a 6-0 drubbing to Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier that was played only three days before the home encounter with Italy in March last year but Ghedin brushed off suggestions that his players may find it difficult to concentrate on today’s encounter.
“This is a new game, a different story,” Ghedin said.
“We all know that the weather and pitch conditions in Bulgaria were very difficult on that occasion but that is in the past.”
Past Encounters
Friendly matches
05-11-1961 Malta vs Norway - 1-1
03-07-1962 Norway vs Malta - 5-0
07-02-1990 Malta vs Norway - 1-1
09-02-2005 Malta vs Norway - 0-3
Euro Championship
14-12-1994 Malta vs Norway - 0-1
07-06-1995 Norway vs Malta - 2-0
02-06-2007 Norway vs Malta - 4-0
21-11-2007 Malta vs Norway - 1-4
Malta (probable)
A. Hogg, A. Agius, R. Fenech, C. Failla, P. Fenech, M. Mifsud, R. Briffa, A. Schembri, R. Muscat, R. Camilleri, Z. Muscat.
Norway (probable)
O. Nyland, O. Elabdellaoui, V. Forren, H. Nordtveit, P. Flo, P. Skjelbred, A. Tettey, S. Johansen, T. Elyounoussi, H. Nielsen, M. King.
Kick-off: 20.45 (National Stadium).