The Maltese women’s national team will attempt to book a place in the second round of 2019 World Cup qualifying stage for a second time in a row in Albania this week.
Malta, ranked 88, were drawn in Group One of the preliminary phase alongside Albania, Greece and newcomers Kosovo.
The opener will be against Greece on Thursday before the clash against hosts Albania and the last match against Kosovo today week.
In 2013, the Maltese girls had topped their qualification group ahead of Albania, Latvia and Luxembourg, gaining access to the next round where they encountered powerhouses like Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.
Coach Mark Gatt has already tested his players in a couple of international matches this year.
Last month, the side also featured in the Aphrodite Cup, in Cyprus, where they crossed swords with Latvia, Cyprus and Lithuania, earning satisfactory results in all matches played.
In February, Lithuania visited the islands and figured in a double-header with the local girls emerging winners in one the warm-up matches at Ta’ Qali.
Gatt has 18 players on his roster in Albania with most of those selected coming from newly-crowned champions Birkirkara and Hibernians.
Midfielder Rachel Cuschieri, who played a key role for her side Apollon Ladies to become champions this season, is also in the group.
“The Aphrodite Cup came at the right moment for some of the players as they had an opportunity to gain more experience on the international scene. Eventually, they will find it useful particularly in this World Cup qualifying tournament,” Gatt told Times of Malta.
“Qualification will not be easy as all our opponents will be prepared for the tournament, starting from Greece who are the favourites in my opinion. However, we have gone through weeks of preparation and hard work during training so I’m confident we can do well.
“These are three tough games in such a short space of time. We know we will require a huge collective effort and support from all the technical staff to achieve our objective and continue to promote the game on our shores.”
The squad
Goalkeepers: Rachel Borg (Mġarr United); Janice Xuereb (Birkirkara).
Defenders: Rebecca Bajada, Jade Flask, Charlene Zammit (all Hibs); Stephania Farrugia, Alishia Sultana, Ann-Marie Said, Gabriella Zahra (all Birkirkara).
Midfielders: Emma Xuereb, Dorianne Theuma, Shona Zammit (all Hibernians); Kim Parnis (Birkirkara); Rachel Cuschieri (Apollon Ladies).
Forwards: Ylenia Carabott, Martina Borg (both Hibs); Raina Giusti, Kelly Agius Pace (both Birkirkara).