Birkirkara midfielder Rowen Muscat has been handed a recall to the Malta squad for the 2018 World Cup Group F qualifiers against England on Saturday and Lithuania next Tuesday as national coach Pietro Ghedin yesterday finalised his 21-man selection ahead of the group’s departure to London this morning.
Muscat had been left out of the squad for the opening qualifier at home to Scotland on September 4 and the preceding friendly against Estonia due to a lack of first-team action for his club but the 25-year-old is now back in the frame after starting two of Birkirkara’s last three league outings.
“Rowen Muscat is part of our group,” Ghedin told Times of Malta.
“His recall is also a message that we are close to him as he is coming from a difficult period. He went four months without a game for his club but he’s getting back on track.
“I believe that Rowen should also step up his efforts to contribute more to his club and also the national team. It depends on him.”
With Muscat, who has made 25 international appearances, emerging as Malta’s stand-out performer in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, Ghedin will be hoping that the 25-year-old rediscovers his best form quickly.
Also making a return are Sliema duo Alex Muscat and Mark Scerri, and Floriana winger Steve Pisani.
Of the 24 players Ghedin had summoned for training last week, goalkeeper Justin Haber, Balzan striker Lydon Micallef and Jurgen Pisani, the Floriana left-back, have been omitted from the final list.
Ghedin said his players look in good shape and showed enthu-siasm in training.
“They look okay and very motivated,” he said.
“It’s clear that this game means a lot to them. I hope they are in a good condition physically because you can’t really assess their fitness in three days.
“The game is what really matters. It’s a massive fixture for the national team and we need to approach it with the right attitude and mentality.”
Jonathan Caruana is suspended for the qualifier at Wembley after his sending-off in the 5-1 defeat to Scotland.
However, the Valletta defender has been named in Ghedin’s final squad as he will be available for the match against Lithuania, in Vilnius, next week.
Missing from the selection are veteran midfielder Roderick Briffa and Luke Gambin.
Briffa, who captured the 2015/16 Malta FA footballer of the year award after helping Valletta win the Premier League title, is recovering from a cruciate operation.
Gambin, who plays for English League Two club Barnet FC, is out of the equation after receiving a two-match ban following his late dismissal against Scotland.
Otherwise, Ghedin has kept faith with the players he has relied on a regular basis since starting his second spell in charge of national team in 2012.
The absence of Caruana and Gambin means that the Italian coach must make two changes from the line-up he fielded against Scotland.
Zach Muscat, who has forced his way into Arezzo’s starting XI, is likely to deputise for Caruana but the decision on the replacement to Gambin seems less straightforward as Ghedin doesn’t have a like-for-like option for the winger who has generally impressed in his four appearances for the country so far.
Ghedin’s squad
Goalkeepers: A. Hogg, H. Bonello.
Defenders: S. Borg, A. Agius, J. Caruana, Z. Muscat, A. Muscat, R. Camilleri, J. Zerafa, C. Failla.
Midfielders: P. Fenech, B. Kristensen, M. Scerri, G. Sciberras, R. Muscat, R. Scicluna, S. Pisani.
Forwards: M. Mifsud, J.P. Farrugia, A. Effiong, A. Schembri.