The Malta women’s team will be aiming to make home advantage count when they face fellow minnows Albania, Luxembourg and Latvia in a FIFA 2015 World Cup Mini-Tournament, kicking off this afternoon at the Centenary Stadium.
Led by long-serving coach Pierre Brincat, the Maltese girls go into this week’s preliminary round competi-tion in a positive frame of mind after their creditable performances in friendly games against Estonia and Cyprus.
“The girls are looking forward to this tournament with great enthu-siasm,” Brincat told The Times yesterday.
“The level of the teams in the group is, more or less, the same with Albania probably the strongest side.
“Our players are concentrated and they’ve prepared very well for these important assignments.
“The tournament will be a nice experience but we need to be 100 per cent focused in every game. We certainly can’t afford to be overconfident but the strength of our squad is that girls are very united and work together as a team.
“I hope that these qualities and the work we’ve done in training are reflected in the team’s performances on the pitch.”
Brincat is upbeat about Malta’s chances of progressing to the next stage of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The top two teams in the group will join the 38 top-ranked nations in the next round.
“I believe we can go through,” the Malta coach said. “I’m an optimistic person. However, I’m also aware that the girls must be at the top of their game to reach this target because, at this level, if we don’t produce our best, we would have problems.
“This is why it’s crucial to be 100 per cent focused. There is little between the teams... we can beat them but they can also beat us.”
Brincat’s assertion that Albania are probably the best team in this group attaches added importance to the opening match this afternoon as a strong start in the shape of a win against the ‘favourites’ would surely boost Malta’s chances of claiming a top-two finish.
The Malta coach urged his players to keep their composure against the uncompromising Albanians.
“I watched Albania’s game against Greece,” Brincat said. “They are a physical side, very aggressive. Their approach can be frustrating for their opponents but it’s important that we don’t lose our heads.”
Brincat’s squad is a blend of youth and experience. Up-and-coming goalkeeper Keoney Demicoli and midfielder Brenda Borg, both 15, have been promoted to the senior party for this tournament after their positive performances for the Malta U-16 team in last month’s friendly matches in Greece.
After today’s clash with Albania, Malta meet Luxembourg on Saturday before wrapping up their commitments against Latvia on Tuesday.
Malta squad
Goalkeepers: Koeney Demicoli (Hibs), Sharon Costantino (Mosta).
Defenders: Gabriella Zahra (Birkirkara), Rebecca Chircop (Mosta), Rebecca D’Agostino (Mosta), Kirsty Feasey (Reading), Stephania Farrugia (Birkirkara), Charlene Zammit (Hibs), Kelly Grace Agius (Birkirkara).
Midfielders: Natasha Pace (Mosta), Dorianne Theuma (Mosta), Ylenia Carabott (Hibs), Rachael Cuschieri (Birkirkara), Antoinette Sammut (Mġarr), Amber Grech (Pembroke), Emma Xuereb (Gozo).
Forwards: Nicole Buttigieg (Mosta), Brenda Borg (Mġarr).
Fixtures
Today (Centenary Stadium): 4pm Albania vs Malta; 6.30pm Luxembourg vs Latvia.
Saturday (Centenary Stadium): 11 am Albania vs Latvia; 1.30pm Malta vs Luxembourg.
Tuesday (Centenary Stadium): 4pm Luxembourg vs Albania; 6.30pm Latvia vs Malta.