Update 12.15pm - Full report

Malta will face Euro 2016 giant killers Iceland in a friendly match at Ta' Qali national stadium on November 15, the Malta Football Association announced today. 

The announcement was made during a news conference this morning during which MFA General Secretary Bjorn Vassallo gave details about the national team's upcoming friendly against Estonia on Wednesday and the opening 2018 World Cup qualifier at home to Scotland on September 4.

Despite similarly sized populations, Malta and Iceland lie on opposite ends of the footballing ladder, with Iceland 23rd on the FIFA World Rankings and Malta 176th.

Malta finished last in its Euro 2016 qualification group, amassing two points from its 10 qualification matches.

Iceland sailed through qualification to become the smallest ever nation to qualify for a European Championship. Having outperformed eventual champions Portugal at the group stage, the team proceeded to knock out Roy Hodgson's England before falling to hosts France at the quarter-final stage.

Aside from current form, past encounters between the two sides also suggest Iceland have the upper hand, with the Nordic side having won 10 out of 14 previous encounters with Malta.

Vassallo said that ticket sales for the Scotland qualifier were going well and 75 per cent of the stadium is already sold. So far, Scottish fans have already acquired 5,000 tickets, with Vassallo urging the Maltese public to attend.

The new kit for the national team were also unveiled yesterday, with only minor changes from the previous one. The most significant change is the neck, which is now a button-up style. The Maltese Cross is now also more conspicuous.

Malta coach Pietro Ghedin said the players in his 20-man squad are in good condition and declared himself quite pleased with the level of football shown in the opening two rounds of the 2016/17 Premier League.

The focus now is on preparing for the next two games, which Ghedin described as "big matches for Malta against two strong teams like Estonia and Scotland."

The MFA unveiled Malta's new national kit. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiThe MFA unveiled Malta's new national kit. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

 

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