Malta champions Hibernians are looking to make the most from their lucrative friendly against crack Dutch team PSV Eindhoven at Corradino next week.

PSV will travel to Malta for a short training camp in preparation of the second part of the season.

They are looking to maintain the good start to the season as they step up their quest to retain the league championship and also continue their surprising run in the Champions League when they face Spanish side Atletico Madrid in the Last 16.

Hibs secretary Stephen Abela said playing a team of PSV’s calibre is of great prestige for the club.

“It’s a great honour for us to be given such opportunities to play against teams of the quality of PSV Eindhoven,” he told reporters.

“This friendly will help us lift the profile of Hibernians FC and Maltese football in general. PSV are going through a very good season and they won’t be here for holidays but we expect our team to do well.

“PSV are a renowned club, fully professional and of a high standard. Their operate and training modules are top notch so we can learn a thing or two from them and grow further as a club.”

The winter warm-up will be played on Tuesday at the Hibs Stadium with kick-off set at 7.30pm.

Hibs fielded a depleted team for last weekend’s charity match against Xewkija Tigers – the President’s Cup.

However, against PSV they will have their strongest formation with the only players not be involved being defender Rodolfo Soares and winger Marcelo Dias, both injured.

“This may be a mid-season friendly but at Hibs we are giving a lot of importance to this occasion. It will be an excellent test for our players ahead of the second part of the season,” Abela added.

“The coach have an almost full squad available but, probably, he will also allow space for some of our promising youngsters to play a part to build more confidence and continue with their quest to break into the first team.”

Helmut Amhof, Director at SLFC Soccer, said he was delighted that Malta has become the latest country to host training camps.

“SLFC Soccer has been involved in such initiatives across Europe for many years now,” he said.

“In 2015 alone, we were responsible for more than 140 training camps in various countries. Malta has now joined our list of destinations. We think these islands not only boast excellent weather conditions but, more importantly, excellent football infrastructure.

“In 2016 we are planning to have between 16 and 20 teams visiting Malta. Initiatives of this kind are beneficial for the host country and also for the clubs involved as they get the rare chance to play friendlies against top-quality teams like PSV.

“We are sure that this is the start of a long relationship with Malta.”

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