Malta coach Pietro Ghedin knows that his team are in for a very taxing encounter against Italy tomorrow but he believes that his players are well-prepared for the impending challenge.
"My impression is that my squad is in a good condition," Ghedin told the pre-match news conference at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence this afternoon.
"We are ready for the game but we will see what happens.
"This is a match between the second team in the group and the bottom one and that says everything about the difficulty of this encounter but it doesn't mean that we have already lost.
"We know it's difficult as Italy's ambition is to finish top of the group but we also have our own ambitions.
"We will do our best."
In the build-up to tomorrow's Euro 2016 qualifier, Italy coach Antonio Conte was quoted as saying that Alfred Effiong has given Malta something extra in attack.
Asked what qualities Effiong brings to the team, Ghedin preferred to focus on the collective.
"Alfred Effiong is an important player but for me, it's the entire squad that gives us that extra push," the Italian mentor remarked.
"We don't have stars, the squad is our best quality.
"If we are united, we can do something. Unity is our strength."
Ghedin has spent most of his coaching career with the Italian football federation (FIGC) but he is also strongly associated with Malta as this is his second spell in charge of the national team.
Asked whether, at present, he feels more Maltese than Italian, Ghedin replied: "I'm Italian but everyone knows that I love Malta.
"They have adopted me well. OK, the sacrifices are great as I'm not in Malta for a holiday but life is good and I'm proud of what I'm doing."
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is widely expected to attend tomorrow's match together with his Italian counterpart, Matteo Renzi.
On the prospect of playing in front of the political leaders of the two countries, Ghedin said: "It's an honour. We will also try to do well for them. I also hope that the fans will enjoy the game and support the teams in a polite and neat manner."
Valletta defender Jonathan Caruana and Balzan midfielder Ryan Fenech will miss tomorrow's qualifier due to injuries. Balzan captain Dylan Grima, who has never been capped at senior level, was forced to pull out of the squad yesterday evening after suffering a knee injury in the final training session before the team's departure to Italy early this morning.
Given Italy's strength, Ghedin is widely expected to opt for 5-3-2 while reports here suggest that Conte will switch to 4-3-3.
Malta are bottom of Group H with one point from six qualifiers while Italy are second on 12 points, one behind Croatia who have been docked one point for their fans' racist behaviour.
The Maltese squad are holding their customary pre-match training session at the Stadio Artemio Franchi this evening while Italy have stayed at their base in Coverciano.