Coach Silvio Vella is readying his young players for their most gruelling test in the UEFA Championship as Malta U-21 will be up against group favourites Belgium in Louvain today.

Belgium lead Group One with six points from their opening two games while Malta are in an unfamiliar second place after gaining an impressive five points from four matches, all away from home.

Vella, who succeeded Ray Farrugia as U-21 coach last year, is hopeful that his team will show the tactical discipline that underscored their campaign so far.

“From what we’ve seen, Belgium and the Czech Republic are the strongest teams in our group,” Vella told Times of Malta.

“Belgium are favourites. All matches are difficult for us, especially away from home. I mean we are the least-quoted side in this group but, tactically, we have been preparing ourselves to close the spaces and that’s what we’ll try do in this game.”

The mood within the squad is upbeat after the goalless draw against Montenegro took their tally to five points following another 0-0 stalemate against Moldova and a 1-0 win in Latvia.

Vella said: “We have exceeded expectations so far but we can’t stop here. We need to keep working and improve all the time. Our objective is that in every game we commit fewer mistakes.”

It is somewhat uncommon for any team to play all their first five qualifiers away from home but Vella explained the reasoning behind the strange fixture schedule.

“When the draw was made we wanted to avoid certain dates,” Vella said.

“The U-19s play in a tournament in November and we want them to have all our best players available, including those with the U-21s.

“As the first game was away at Moldova, we agreed to play in Latvia straight after for travelling purposes.

“By cutting the travelling time, we gain an extra day for recovery.

“We did the same last month as from the Czech Republic, we flew straight to Montenegro.”

Vella is expected to stick with the core of players who were involved in the last two outings.

Floriana goalkeeper Matthew Calleja Cremona is certain to keep his place after his superb display against Montenegro.

Jurgen Borg, the Hibs goalkeeper, has not been called as he has not played since suffering an injury on the eve of the Montenegro clash.

In defence, Sam Magri will be making his Malta U-21 debut.

The Dover Athletic centre-half replaces Balzan’s Samir Arab who is suspended.

Vella insisted that his players are benefiting from getting regular football with their clubs as the likes of Calleja Cremona, Floriana right-back Emanuel Briffa, Valletta’s Llywelyn Cremona and Tarxien Rainbows defender Daniel Zerafa are impressing for their Premier League teams this season.

“Most of the players likely to start against Belgium are figuring regularly in the Premier League,” Vella said.

“This helps them a lot as regular football boosts their confidence and fitness. For us, this is crucial, especially when playing international games where the levels are very high.”

Malta U-21 (probable)
Matthew Calleja Cremona, Cain Attard, Daniel Zerafa, Sam Magri, Emanuel Briffa, Matthew Guillaumier, Llywelyn Cremona, Kyle Cesare, Joseph Mbong, Ryan Camenzuli, Luke Montebello.

Fixtures
Today: Belgium vs Malta - 18.45
Sunday: Moldova vs Latvia - 14.00

Group One