Conor Borg (left) and Ryan Camilleri during training in Tbilisi, yesterday. Photo: Paul Zammit Cutajar

Malta will be chasing a morale-booster ahead of Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Azerbaijan when they meet Georgia in a friendly match this evening at the Mikheil Meskhi stadium.

Mindful of the scale of the challenge awaiting his team in Baku at the weekend, Malta coach Pietro Ghedin knows that a cohesive performance in today’s warm-up would help to enhance his players’ confidence and self-belief.

The Euro Championship qualifier is more important than today’s friendly but Ghedin has urged his players to focus on the task at hand.

“All games are important for us,” Ghedin told Times of Malta.

“We are thinking about our next match against a strong Georgia team. We need to take one step at a time.”

Given the proximity of the two fixtures, Ghedin probably sees this friendly as a dress rehearsal, an opportunity to further hone his team’s tactical awareness and organisation after switching to 5-3-2 before the start of the qualifiers, but he is expected to tweak his formation.

Some of the changes could be enforced upon the coach by fitness issues surrounding midfielders Roderick Briffa, Paul Fenech and Ryan Fenech.

The trio are expected to be fit for Azerbaijan but Ghedin will be reluctant to risk them this evening.

“We have some doubts on Briffa, Paul and Ryan Fenech,” Ghedin said.

“They have minor injury problems but we are hopeful about their recovery.”

The starting team will surely feature one change from the 1-1 draw against Bulgaria back in November as Clayton Failla, Ghedin’s first-choice left-back, has been given permission to skip these two games to stay with his wife who is expecting the couple’s first child.

Steve Borg is in line for a first-team recall after the Valletta defender missed the last three group qualifiers through suspension.

With four uncapped players in the final squad, Ghedin is likely to field new faces today.

Qormi striker Alfred Effiong, who has earned his first call-up after obtaining Maltese citizenship last month, young wing-backs Ryan Camenzuli and Jurgen Pisani, of Birkirkara and Pietà Hotspurs respectively, and up-and-coming midfielder Conor Borg will be hoping to make their first appearance in the Georgian capital.

While it is clearly too early to pass judgment on Ghedin’s decision to rope in Effiong, the Malta coach is pleased with the way the Nigeria-born striker has been received by his team-mates.

“Effiong is new to the squad and he needs time to settle in,” Ghedin said.

“That said, I’ve seen an excellent photo of Effiong with Ryan Fenech on Times of Malta. It’s a very nice image as it demonstrates the values of respect and unity.

“It’s a very significant shot, I like it a lot. Effiong is doing well and all the players know him.”

The inclusion of three up-and-coming players in the 23-strong squad is testament to Ghedin’s policy of blooding more youngsters into his squad, having already promoted a host of former Under-21 players who were regulars under Ray Farrugia, the likes of Zach Muscat, Bjorn Kristensen, Jean Paul Farrugia and Steve Pisani over the past months.

While praising the work of the Malta FA’s youth sector, Ghedin said Borg, the youngest player in the Maltese squad at 17, deserves his call-up.

“The presence of so many young players in our squad is a credit to the country’s youth sector,” Ghedin said. .

“We are giving more opportunities to our youths. Conor Borg has earned his place in the squad because he is playing regularly for Floriana in the Premier League this season and this is an important thing for a young player like him.

“I intend to give a chance to other young players in the coming months. We need to think about the future.”

The Malta squad arrived in Tbilisi via Istanbul in the early hours of yesterday.

The players had a light training session in the evening as Ghedin is keen for the players to recharge their batteries after an exhausting trip.

“We need to recover from this long journey,” Ghedin said.

“This is very important for us, especially for the Azerbaijan game. We must handle the recovery process very carefully.”

Kakha Tskhadadze is taking charge of his first match since succeeding Temuri Ketsbaia as Georgia coach. His first squad selection features several foreign-based players, including former Valletta goalkeeper Nukri Revishvili who is now on the books of Russia’s FC Tosno.

Georgia are second bottom in Euro 2016 Group D with three points from four qualifiers.

Previous encounters

Malta (probable)
A. Hogg, S. Borg. A. Agius, J. Caruana, R. Camilleri, R. Camenzuli, B. Kristensen, R. Muscat, R. Fenech, A. Schembri, J.P. Farrugia.

Kick-off: 18.00 (Malta time).