Jonathan Caruana

Valletta captain Jonathan Caruana is set to miss Malta’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy on Thursday after picking up a groin injury in his team’s Premier League 1-0 victory over Sliema Wanderers.

A mainstay of the national team’s defence for much of the past decade, Caruana had been widely expected to start the eagerly-awaited game against the Azzurri but his prospects of making the trip to Florence are very remote after his injury setback on Friday.

Malta coach Pietro Ghedin has already called Sliema Wanderers defender Clifford Gatt Baldacchino as back-up.

For Caruana, this is the second time in less than six months that he has suffered an injury before an international week.

In June, Caruana skipped the 1-0 home defeat to Bulgaria after sustaining an injury in Valletta’s final 2014/15 league match against Hibernians.

The home-based players in Ghedin’s provisional squad took part in a training session yesterday morning.

With the domestic championship on hold for the international break, Ghedin is ramping up the team’s preparations ahead of Thursday’s gruelling assignment. Three days later, Malta host Azerbaijan at the National Stadium.

Ghedin should have the full squad at his disposal today as the foreign-based trio, goalkeeper Andrew Hogg, who plays for Greek club Kalloni, Omonia Nicosia striker Andre Schembri and Steve Borg, of Aris Limassol, are due to report for international duty this morning.

The Italian tactician has selected some new faces in his initial squad, the likes of Balzan captain Dylan Grima, Pembroke Athleta defender Alex Cini and Tarxien Rainbows winger Ayrton Azzopardi who made his first and only appearance for Malta in a 2014 World Cup qualifier away to the Czech Republic.

Birkirkara midfielder Gareth Sciberras has earned a recall to the Malta squad after a long absence due to a succession of injuries.

Rowen Muscat seems to be recuperating well from the injury that kept him out of Birkirkara’s 2-2 draw against Tarxien Rainbows last Friday.

With the Malta squad flying out to Florence on Wednesday on a chartered Air Malta plane, Ghedin is expected to trim his squad to 23 players by tomorrow morning.

Malta are bottom of Group H with one point from six qualifies, three behind Azerbaijan.

Italy have 12 points, one adrift of leaders Croatia who have been docked one point by UEFA over their fans’ racist behaviour.